Chateauroux is having a terrible season. They are in the relegation zone with -4 points from the safe zone and 1 more match. After 14 winless matches (0-8-6), they won at home in the last round against relegation rival Marignane and gave some hope in their ranks. They have 8 draws in their 10 away matches, and today Durbant (17/7 top scorer), Diarra (9/0), Mendy (8/0), Christophe (7/0), and Toibibou (4/0) are out of the squad. Dijon is resorected in the 2nd part of the season. They lost away to Martigues, but then draw at home against Le Mans, and took two away victories against Avranches and GOAL FC. They are the 3rd best home team in the league and has -5 points from a direct promotion place. This is simple a must win match for them in order to keep the promotion race.

Freiburg is still unlucky with injuries. Defense chief Matthias Ginter (19/0) will be absent due to an irritated Achilles tendon. After Matthias Ginter’s injury, Freiburg’s entire central defense is out. Ginter’s Austrian partner Philipp Lienhart (14/1), who had groin surgery is not been available for several weeks, together with Kenneth Schmidt (5/0). Coach Christian Streich also has to do without offensive talents Merlin Röhl (16/1 suspended) and Junior Adamu (12/0). Freiburg had little to gain from the games against Dortmund. BVB has been unbeaten against Freiburg in 15 home games (14 wins, one draw) and after the goalless draw against Heidenheim, Dortmund will be highly motivated to get back on the winning road.

After the winter break, the Serbian Super League continues. The 20th round will be opened by Radnik and Čukarički, with a meeting in Surdulica. Čukarički is fourth in the table with 29 points, eight less than the 3rd placed TSC Bačka Topola and even 18 less than the leader Partizan. They ended the autumn half-season with a victory over Mladost, but on the eve of that game, they suffered an unpleasant defeat against the newcomers IMT Belgrade, which followed the defeat in the last round of the Conference League against Genk. They brought in several reinforcements during the winter transfer window, like Slobodan Tedić (injured in preparation period), Korean Ji-un You, and Koruho Guzman. In the meantime, Čukarički got a new coach, Gordan Petrić, who is exceptional coach, with big experience in Serbian football and Im aware that he will have superb results with the Belgrade team.

Radnik is in a much more difficult position, “nailed” to the bottom of the table with only 11 points, six less from the penultimate place. All preparations with the team were carried out by the new coach, Dušan Đorđević, who is the third coach of Radnik since the beginning of the season, having replaced Milan Milanović, who arrived in November in place of the fired Zoran Ljubinković. During the transfer period Mitosevic (18/1), Kocic (15/0), and Stojanovic (2/0) left, while Dženan Zajmović, Edin Rustemović, Lazar Jovanović and Damir Šovšić arrived.

Cukaricki finished the first part of the season with 4 victories in the last 5 league matches and is undefeated in their last 12 matches (8-4-0) against Radnik. I think that the guests have a quality roster who can victoriously open the second part of the season.

There was no continuation for Mozambique’s great appearance in the first round. In the game against Cape Verde, they made a lot of individual mistakes and suffered a 3-0 defeat. The goalkeeper Ernan was not having a good day and conceded the first goal from 40 meters free kick. They never won an Africa Cup of Nations match in the group stage (0-3-11).

Ghana showed signs of „life“ against Egypt and perhaps deserved more than a 2-2 draw. The return of the leader Kudus made the difference. According to reports there is a problem between Chris Hughton and Daniel Amartey. The second has not played at all so far and deleted the photos he had with the national team from social media.

With the return of leader Kudus, Ghana leveled up and must win to avoid being eliminated from the group stage for the second consecutive tournament. Mozambique “landed” abruptly after the breakthrough they made in the first match against Egypt and their weaknesses were revealed. I will go with the “black stars” with MAX STAKE.

Leicester paid dearly for being outnumbered away to Coventry and suffered a fatal 3-1 defeat. They had a 0-1 lead after the half time, but Fatawu received a red card in the 45th minute. This was only the fourth defeat in 27 rounds, but are still at the top, with +7 points from their current opponent. Due to participations on ACN, injuries or suspensions, Fatawu (23/2), Ndidi (21/2), Iheanacho (19/5), Daka (7/4) and Souttar (3/0) are out.

Ipswich had a great 2-1 home win against Sunderland at a very crucial point in the season, showing signs of fatigue and deflation. They returned to success after five matches and took advantage of Leicester’s defeat, reducing the distance from the top to seven points. Coach McKenna has serious problems with absences and can’t count on Luongo (25/2), Morsy (24/3), Hirst (23/6), Burgess (23/0), Williams (15/2), Donacien (3/0) and Evans (2/0).

Leicester will be looking for a reaction and the visitors without their many key players will have a lot of difficulties to get at least a point.

The Palestinian team doesn’t enter the tournament in the best technical condition after failing to win its last eight matches and scoring one goal during them. In the opener they looked completely unprepared losing 4-1 to Iran and three internationals Atta Jaber (Neftci Baku), Saleh Chihadeh (Kriens) and Mohammed Yameen (Al Khaleel) failed to travel to Doha. It is logical that everyone’s mind is on the conquest that prevails in the country, as coach Daboub confirmed with his statements. The Palestinian player Mahmoud Wadi, a striker from the Egyptian Arab Contractors, lost his uncle and a number of his cousins ​​and other relatives who were killed during the war, and the player Muhammad Saleh, who plays in the defense, lost both his uncle and aunt and their children before. The psychological state of the players is difficult, like that of all Palestinians, after they lost relatives in the war.

Under the leadership of its Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, UAE makes big progress. Since the former South Korean coach took over the leadership of the Emirates in August, they achieved a series of six successive official and friendly victories, before losing to Oman 0-1 in the last friendly before traveling to Doha. Coach Pinto brought new blood into the squad, of which only five players remained from the one that played in the 2019 edition. The team is compact, well balanced and that was visible in the 3-1 victory over Hong Kong in the opening round.

I think that UAE is the better team in this match and should score the three points and qualify to the knockout stage.

Unionistas made a big surprise in the 1/16 finals of the Copa Del Rey, knocking out Villarreal after a penalty shootout. Danny Pond’s team participates in the first group of the 3rd division, being in the middle of the standings with only 1 home defeat in 10 games. On Saturday, they beat Rayo Majadahonda and are undefeated in the last 4 matches. The Reina Sofia Stadium in Salamanca will be full, as the tickets for the match have been sold out for a couple of hours. Barcelona was humiliated in the Super Cup final held in Saudi Arabia, losing 4-1 to Real Madrid. Coach Xavi is under constant pressure, but he is supported by the management. In the league, they are at -8 points from the top and today some key players like Yamal (19/1), Cancelo (16/2), Raphinha (15/3), Araújo (13/1), ter Stegen (13/0), Gavi (12/1), Martínez (8/0) and Alonso (4/0) are out of the squad. Unionistas will enjoy the game against Barcelona in front of a packed stadium and I don’t believe that Barcelona will score a big victory.

Alanyaspor цouldn\'t keep up the unbeaten run of 7 matches (including the Cup), losing 3-2 away to Basaksehir. With 3-3-1 in the last 7 league matches, they are trying to get out of the group with the teams fighting for survival. After all, they have a good roster, but lacks stability. They are always good in the Cup competition and qualified to the 1/2 finals in the 2021/2022 season. In terms of absences, only two players Augusto (15/1) and Silva (10/0) are out.

Samsunspor showed good performance in the home match against Sivasspor and deservedly won (2-0). A difficult match awaits them, as they face Fenerbahce away on Sunday, and coach Gisdol said that he doesn\'t care about the Cup and will rest the best players. Due to various reasons 17 players are out for this match: Kocuk (19/0 first goalkeeper), defenders van Drongelen (16/2), Satka (16/0), Öztürk (12/0), Nanu (5/0), midfielders Kilinc (20/1), Holse (16/3 third scorer), Ntcham (14/4 second scorer), Ait Bennasser (14/1), Tait (14/0), Yavru (12/0), Schindler (10/1), Antalyali (9/1), Tirpan (7/0), forwards Marius (16/6 top scorer), Fofana (16/0) and Laura (8/0).

Alanyaspor is in a better ranking position than Samsunspor, so it has room to look a little more zealously in the Cup. Samsunspor has many absences and I think that the home side will qualify to the 1/8 finals

Friendly matches usually aren’t a huge draw for spectators, but on January 17th in Koper, a friendly match is scheduled that will be a true celebration for fans. Koper will host the Croatian giants, Hajduk Split, at Bonifika, who lead the 1. HNL standings and the Dalmatians are expected to arrive on the coast with a massive support. According to information coming from Koper, Hajduk will be supported by over 1500 loyal fans Torcida at the friendly match. Hajduk is playing the best season in the last couple of years and have top quality team lead by former Inter striker Marko Livaja, while in the transfer period they signed experienced midfielder László Kleinheisler (Panathinaikos) and striker Nikola Kalinic (ex Milan, Atletico Madrid, Fiorentina, Roma player). They won against Aluminij (0-3) and MOL Fehervar (5-2) and show that are eager to prove their potential in every match.

Aleksandar Radosavljević made his coaching debut in the first friendly against Osijek, where Koper lost by 0-2. Osijek played with a mixed lineup, but were too strong for the Slovenian team. An additional problem for coach Radosavljević is the absence of Maks Barisic (15/3), Ramazan Orazov (12/1), Klemen Hvalič (3/0) and Luka Kambic (1/0) who left the team, while some youth players arrived on loan deals.

I think that Hajduk is a class above Koper and with a support of their fans will score the 3 win in a row in their preparation period.

Ceramica Cleopatra leads the group after a 2-0 win agaisnt Enppi in the first round and with a win will qualify for the quarter-finals without waiting for the results of the other matches. They are huge favorites, because El Ismaily doesn\'t care about this match and have many key absences like El Saaiy (10/1), Nagguez (9/1), Abdelsamia (8/0), Hassan (8/0), Hamdy (6/2), Mohsen (5/0), Mohsen (5/0), Fawzi (5/0), Gomaa (4/0), Bayoumi (3/0) and Arafat (2/0). The financial problems around the club are bigger and bigger and some players refuse to train due to unpaid salaries. An additional problem is the absence of main coach Ehab Galal. Ceramica Cleopatra has only two absences Nabil (7/0) and Rayan (6/2), and will give their best to win the match.

Burkina Faso is one of the most consistent teams in Africa and in the previous tournament they reached the semi-finals. There, as expected, were \"bent\" by Senegal 3-1 and in the match for the bronze medal, they lost on penalties by the host nation Cameroon. In the qualifiers, they didn\'t meet much resistance to take first place in their group with a 3-2-1 record. In the last three games, they relaxed and all the losses came. In those of the World Cup, they reacted after the 1-1 draw with Guinea-Bissau and beat Ethiopia 0-3 in their most recent official game. The preparations for ACN went well and showed a good face losing 2-1 to Iran and won 2-1 against DR Congo. They have a quality team with players like Bertrand Traore (Aston Villa), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen), Issa Kabore (Luton), Issoufou Dayo (Berkane), Nasser Djiga (Crvena Zvezda) and many others.

Mauritania is one of five teams in this year\'s competition yet to celebrate its first victory in the finals. Two years ago in Cameroon, they failed to be competitive, ending with three defeats. In the qualifiers for the African Cup, they finished in second place behind DR Congo. In the last friendly, they played 0-0 against Tunisia, who tried many reserves in this match. The main defender Mahmoud broke his arm and misses the tournament, while main goalkeeper Babacar Diop, suffered a torn cruciate ligament and was also ruled out. The main midfielder Bodda Mouhsine and key defender El Hassan Houbeib are suspended.

Burkina Faso in recent years has been one of the most stable teams in Africa. In the previous competition, they reached the semi-finals, while it shows a positive face in the qualifiers for the African Cup and the World Cup. I expect Mauritania to be improved compared to the previous two years, but it will be difficult to avoid the defeat.

The Pyramids is missing a large number of players for the match against El Gaish in the League Cup. Similar like in the first round, due to various reasons, Portuguese coach Pacheco can’t count on main goalkeeper Al Shenawy (8/0), defenders Hamdi (8/0), Samy (7/0), Chibi (6/0), Marei (5/0), Gabr (4/0), Galal (1/0), midfielders Lasheen (7/0), Toure (5/0), Adel (2/0), forwards Mayele (8/4 top scorer), Fathi (6/1) and Sobhi (6/1), while Ahmed Fathi (2/0) is suspended. They are winless in the last 7 matches in all competitions. El Gaish won two times in a row against ZED, who is the first placed team in the Premier League. In the first match at home in the league, they won by 1-0, while in the first round of League Cup, the won with the similar result but away from home. The only absences are Shehata (9/0) and El Sheikh (1/0), while key players Nigerian Paul Julius (11/0) and Ahmed Zola (10/0) are back from suspension. El Gaish is a solid home team, who must use the long list of absences in Pyramids to make a positive result.

I will be short and repeat again the same statement from the match against Germany. This Macedonian team is too young and too poor for a European Championship. I watched all the matches and simply with Georgia, they are the worst teams in the championship. The only quality players are Taleski and Kuzmanovski, who didn’t showed their leadership to this young players and played one of the worst championships in the national team. Maybe the only bright star is goalkeeper Mitrevski, who has two good games, but he couldn’t play alone. They are the first team in terms of turnovers (losing balls), having enormous 46, which is 23 per match. CATASTROPHE. Coach Lazarov wants to make a new generation, but this needs a lot of years and superb training conditions, but it’s far away from this task because the infrastructure in Macedonia is too poor. They are completely inferior on 6 on 6 attacks, due to lack of psychical strength and must play with 7 players in attack (without a goalkeeper), but are making a lot of technical mistakes, which is a chance for the Switzerland team to score a lot of goals on the empty net or after quick counter attacks.

Switzerland opened the group stage with poor performance against Germany (27-14), but showed their true potential in the 26-26 draw against mighty France. Most of the players are playing in the best league in the world Bundesliga and have some quality players like veteran Andy Schmid, Lukas Laube, Lucas Meister and Manuel Zehnder. I think that will not have any problems to cover this line.

In the qualification for EURO 2024, the Netherlands took first place in the group with Croatia, Belgium and Greece. They had four wins, a draw and a loss. The best player of the Netherlands, Kay Smits (Flensburg), will miss the EURO because of a heart problem. In the absence of Smits, the first star of the team is Luc Steins (PSG) and Dani Baijens (Hamburg). Luc Steins was selected in the ideal team in EURO 2022. Recently, the Dutch have been investing a lot in handball, they have made a big step forward, and this is supported by the fact that most of the current representatives of this country play in the German Bundesliga - the strongest league in the world.

The Georgian national team will perform at the European Championship for the first time in history. In the qualification for EURO 2024, Georgia took third place in the group with Hungary, Switzerland and Lithuania, but qualified at EURO 2024, as one of the four best third-placed representatives in the qualifications. The main player of the Georgian selection is Giorgi Tskhovrebadze from Magdeburg, but the quality of the rest of the team is really poor.

In my opinion, Netherlands is a class above the Georgian team and should easily cover this line.

As usual, the beginning of the year is reserved for a big handball competition. From January 10 until January 28, we will be watching the European Championship in Germany. The Swedes are the defending champions and big favorites to go all the way this year. Names like Jim Gottfridson, Hampus Wanne, Daniel Pettersson, Oscar Bergendahl , Albin Lagergren, Eric Johansson are the cream of European handball and there are few teams that can beat them. Jim Gottfridsson received the award for the best player at EURO 2022, while Beregndahl was named the best defender at the last championship.

The national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina managed to finish the qualification above Montenegro and Kosovo and thus qualify for the European Championship. The first names of the national team is Marko Panić (Montpellier) and Senjamin Burić (Skjern), but there are many players from the domestic championship and it is difficult to expect that they can compete with the best national teams. They really looked disastrous in the preliminary matches defeated by Argentina by 9 goals, Switzerland by 18 and Romania by 10, and with such performances they will not be able to resist to one of the best teams in Europe.

Calcit Kamnik will play the first match in 2024 against one of the best European teams, the Turkish Fenerbahce. The will host the leading team of Group C of the Champions League in the Tivoli hall, which will be their last home game in this competition, and next Tuesday they will play away to Potsdam. The four-time national champions of Slovenia will be without Maša Pucelj and Ula Gorjup. Maša Pucelj start with light training on Wednesday, but this match comes too soon for her. Coach Bruno Najdič has serious problems with a virus in the last couple of days. Several players were out of selection and they will not be in the best possible form. Coach Najdič said „ if we had been in full squad and trained normally all the time, we would not have had many chances against Fenerbahce. We will try to play the match with the Turks as relaxed as possible and use it to prepare for Saturday’s match with Ankaran“.

The volleyball players of Fenerbahce come to Ljubljana as the first placed team in the Turkish championship and they also defeated Vakifbank, who won the Champions League in the last two years, which only speaks of their quality. It’s interesting that Fenerbahce, despite dominating Group C, plays all matches to the fullest and leaves nothing to chance. They won all four match by a clear 3-0 and are in a masterful series of 16 victories in a row in all competitions, losing only 5 sets.

Dinamo’s players, led by coach Sergej Jakirović, arrived at the Rovinj (Croatia) base on Monday, where in the next ten days they will make final preparations ahead of the resumption of the season. Dinamo’s attacking arsenal in the rest of the season will be strengthened by Slaven Belupo’s former attacker Arbër Hoxha, who was the best player of Slaven Belupo scoring 4 goals in 18 matches. Today, a preliminary match with Triglav is scheduled. The Slovenian team is part of the second league and here we have a huge difference in quality. An additional factor is that Triglav is famous in terms of fixing on many goals, which I think will be the same today. Coach Jakirović said that all friendly matches will be taken very seriously and I think that will score a big victory without any problems.

Recanatese is decimated for the upcoming hard away match against Gubbio. The team coached by Giovanni Pagliari suffered the third consecutive defeat against Torres and is winless in the last 6 rounds (0-2-4). This is their second match in the last three days and due to injuries or suspensions Longobardi (18/1), Prisco (18/0), Egharevba (9/0), Gomez (7/0), Canonici (3/0), and Re (2/0) are out, while Ferrante (16/0 out in the last match) is doubtful. In the last week Giampaolo (14/1), Senigagliesi (14/0), and Marinacci (3/0) left the team. Gubbio entered in a mini series of 2 victories and is one of the four teams that are still undefeated at home 4-5-0. This is a great chance to grab the third win in a row and keep the race for a playoff place.

On Saturday, Middlesbrough run in the FA Cup was stopped in the 3rd round. Despite the fighting image, they lost at home to Aston Villa. This was the 3rd defeat in the last 4 matches in all competitions, fallen to 12th place in the Championship. Coach Michael Carrick has serious problems with absences and can\'t count on 11 players - Rogers (24/2), Dieng (22/0 first goalkeeper), Silvera (21/2), Greenwood (20/5), McNair (15/0), McGree (13/3), Dijksteel (10/0), Forss (9/2), Lenihan (8/1), Smith (6/0) and O\'Brien (5/0).

Chelsea is starting to get a steady pace. On Saturday they recorded a 3rd successive win, this time a comprehensive 4-0 win over Preston and progressed to the 4th round of the FA Cup. In the quarter-finals of the League Cup, they had thrown out Newcastle on penalties (1-1 draw) and counts 5 conquests, the most recent in 2015. Coach Pochettino has some absences like Jackson (19/7 on ACN), Cucurella (9/0), James (8/0), Nkunku (3/1), while Chilwell (6/0), Badiashile (6/0) and Chukwuemeka (2/1) are doubtful.

The blues of London are obliged to chase the League Cup trophy, a competition that offers a European \"ticket\", which they will hardly catch up through the Premier League. After all, they are starting to gain a steady footing and will secure the win without any problems.

Rizespor shows that are capable to catch a European ticket. They are only -4 points from the 3rd place, undefeated in the last 8 games and are super power at home counting 6 wins in a row. Coach Ilhan Palut is doing an excellent job. Although the initial goal was to stay in the Super League, now they are chasing the top four. Today, the only absences are Alikulov (10/0), Laine (4/0) and Diouf (3/0).

Besiktas is in bad from with only 2 victories in the last 7 matches in all competitions. Once again they didn\'t show seriousness in a home match, losing to Kasimpasa 1-3. With this result, they threw away the (good looking) victory against Hatayspor in Mersin. A solution was found to the issue of the coach. Yesterday the Portuguese Fernando Santos arrived in Istanbul, who won the European championship with Portugal, but had bad results with Poland. He introduced himself and went to Rize, but he will be on the stands. Therefore, this is the last game for caretaker coach Serdar Topraktepe. He has a lot of problems with absences and can\'t count on Uçan (15/1), Oxlade-Chamberlain (14/4), Uysal (13/0), Colley (12/5), Aboubakar (12/4), Rosier (12/0), Amartey (10/0), Masuaku (10/0) and Onana (4/0).

Rizespor are favorites in today\'s match, since they have shown very good performances, while they find a Besiktas in the worst possible situation.

Omonia was bittersweet in the Nicosia derby. They were defeated 3-0 away from home by APOEL and missed a lot of chances in the first half to open the score. The series of 4 wins in a row was stopped, but coach Augousti said that nothing is lost in the title battle of the championship. They fell to 3rd place on -6 points from the top and derby with Aris follows in Limassol (7/1). Due to injuries Ansarifard (15/2), Matthews (14/0), and Fabiano (13/0).

In its best performance in 2023, AEL Limassol lost 1-2 at home to Paphos. The positive streak of two consecutive victories has ended, along with perhaps the dreams of entering the top 6 with -10 points from AEK Larnaca. They are one of the worst away teams with 6 defeats in 8 games and coach Koskela has a lot of problems with absences. He can\'t count on Papafotis (13/2), Marsh (13/0), Tsouka (11/0), Morsay (10/2), Henty (10/2), Kah (6/1), Berahino (4/0), and Continella (1/0).

Omonia suffered only two defeats in the championship. At home, they have a 5-3-0 record and have a 9 matches winning streak in the league against their current opponent at Neo GSP Stadiu.

Kampala City host URA FC in the penultimate game of the first round of the Uganda Premier League. The home side is coming off a three-game winning streak, having picked wins against Bright Stars, Villa, UPDF and have the best offense in the league. It\'s the first time this season vice champions Kampala City to won three games in row, which is a big boost for their self confidence. URA SC lie seventh on the Premier League table after 13 league games and are undefeated in the last 3 rounds, playing against relegation candidate teams. They are one of the worst away teams with 0-4-3 record and will have three key absences Kalega (11/0), Lubwama (9/0) and Okech (6/1). Kampala City were 1-2 winners over UPDF SC in the previous league game at Bombo Military Barracks and the 13-time Uganda Premier League Champions will hope to pick up their fourth win in as many games for the first time this season.

Real Sociedad was stuck at 0-0 for the third game in a row in all competitions, this time away to Cádiz. The positive was that they remained undefeated for the sixth consecutive game (3-3-0) and are -4 points from 5th placed Athletic Bilbao. Today, key players Barrenetxea (14/3) and Zakharyan (11/0) are back, while only absence is Elustondo (7/0). Alaves fought hard against Real Madrid, but lost 0-1 at home, conceding a goal in stoppage time. Offensively, they got a bad grade and didn\'t really threaten the opposing goalkeeper. For the fourth consecutive league match, they didn\'t score a goal and completed four matches without a win (0-1-3), being +3 points from the relegation zone. Today, key defenders Duarte (15/1 suspended), Abqar (14/0), and Sedlar (11/1) are out. Alaves is unreliable away from home (0-3-6) and lost the last three visits to Reale Arena in San Sebastian.

Fenerbahce\'s unbeaten run under Šarūnas Jasikevičius continues. The Lithuanian manager now is on a seven wins in as many games in Turkey and the EuroLeague. Last Thursday, they won a great victory in the \"civil war\" of the EuroLeague, defeating Anadolu Efes 84-89 away from home, with Nick Calathes making an excellent appearance with 17 points and 8 assists. In the championship, they beat Bursaspor harder than expected 97-90, with Madar leading the way with 25 points. Tyler Dorsey played just 5:40 as he turned his foot, but he practiced as normal yesterday and will be available as normal, while Wilbekin, Calathes, Papagiannis and Pierre took a breath.

Crvena Zvezda failed to be really competitive in the OAKA, in the last game of the first round of the regular season of the EuroLeague and thus lost by 82-65. The MVP of the previous round, Milos Teodosic remained in the shallows (0 points, 3 assists) and the 15 points scored by Joel Bolomboy and Nemanja Nedovic were not enough for the Serbs against strong Panathinaikos in the OAKA. In the Adriatic League, however, they didn\'t have problem dismantling Igokea 80-48, with Mike Tobey having 13 points and 12 rebounds. Luka Mitrovic picked up in Athens, didn\'t play against Igokea and is doubtful for the match against Fenerbahce.

Fenerbahce with Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a reborn team and will continue their superb tradition at Ülker Sports Arena, where they have a 100% record (9/9) against the Serbian team.

When Zalgiris Kaunas management decided to remove Kazys Maksvytis from the bench two weeks ago, the players reacted and actually kept him. Since then, the Lithuanian champions have lost all three of their EuroLeague games and so just before the end of 2023, the final decision was made for a change, with Andreas Trinchieri succeeding him. Tonight, he will make his debut, and two key players Lekavicius and Manek are finally in full training mood. The Alba\'s progress in December can be described as positive, despite the fact that in the last two EuroLeague games, they have suffered as many home defeats. Tonight Olinde and Nikic are out, while Procida is doubtful. The logic says that the new coach will boost psychology in Lithuanian champions and the worst away team in EuroLeague is an ideal opponent for a victory.

I MUST take this line today, because the line will be much higher in next days. After the elimination of FIBA ​​Champions League with six defeats from the same number of games, a changes in the Igokea roster followed. The top two leading scorers Stefan Moody (12.7 pp, 2.1 reb, 3.8 ass) and Nikola Tanasković (12 pp, 5.7 reb, 0.7 ass) left the team, while Nemanja Gordić has been out of the team for some time. There is speculation that some more players could leave Igokea in the coming days, because the club dropped out of the European competition, and survival in the ABA league is assured. Due to injury Zoran Nikolić (8.5 pp, 5.1 reb, 2.7 ass) is doubtful. Crvena Zvezda in good form and I expect wonder kid Topic to make his debut.

Leeds “go” into the Boxing Day, after managing to remain unbeaten in the last 4 matches against Preston, but can’t resist the pressure from the home side, after the red card by Meslier in the 53rd minute. Preston stopped the mini losing streak of 2 matches and will enter in this match with higher self confidence. The only absence is Brady (15/0). Sheffield Wednesday suffered the second defeat in a row away to Coventry and tonight many players like Bambo Diaby (20/0), Paterson (19/0), Iorfa (15/0), Windass (14/1), Smith (13/3), Buckley (13/0), Delgado (10/1), and Wilks (5/0) will be out of the squad. In their last 4 visits to Deepdale, Sheffield Wednesday took only one point and will have a difficult task to avoid the defeat.

Newly promoted US Souf is in a “free fall” counting seven consecutive defeats that have brought them to 1-1-8 record and -2 points from salvation. They have the worst defense in the league and many financial problems in the club. An additional problems will be the absences of Benarous (8/0), Rahmani (6/1), Siabe (6/0), Djarrar (3/0), Rahmani (2/0), and Telib (1/0). Last year, Magra was saved in the last rounds, but this year they are much improved. At home they are always tough to beat and with a possible win will finish the 2023 in the „golden“ middle of the standings.

Al Raed achieved perhaps their biggest win of the season with a 1-3 win over champions Al Ittihad in Jeddah on Saturday night. They took advantage of the Al Ittihad problems and gained a numerical advantage in the 12th minute. These three points lifted them on -1 points of salvation. Coach Igor Jovicevic can count on ally main players and only absence is Sayoud (16/4). Abha is in a dire situation away from home, having a 0-1-8 record or 3-1-20 record if we count last seasons results. They have 6 defeats and 1 draw in the last 7 rounds and key players Krychowiak (18/3), Al Sudani (17/3), Toko Ekambi (14/5 top scorer) and Al Sahafi (4/0) are out of the squad. Al Raed has 6/6 wins in their mutual matches at King Abdullah Stadium and this is a chance to move out from the relegation zone.

Sepahan has to face Gol Gohar in the postponed match from the sixth round of the Persian Gulf Pro League. Coach José Morais has enormous problems with absences and can’t count on 9 players. In the match against Aluminium Arak, Asadi (13/8 top scorer), Karimi (10/0) and Dabo (8/0) received red cards, while key defender Rezaeian (13/3) got an injury. The Iranian Federation announced that 5 players of Sepahan can’t play until they adjust their contracts. These players are Niazmand (12/0 main goalkeeper), Mohammadi (10/0), Kaveh Rezaei (9/2), Shekari (7/2), and Pahlevan (6/0). Gol Gohar is a taught nut to crack at home with 2-3-1 record and must use the current situation in Sepahan.

Youssoufia Berrechid is suffering due to the absence of four important players for the upcoming match against FUS Rabat. Out of the squad are Al Sellami (12/3 suspended), El Jaaouani (10/0 suspended), Johnson (8/0), and Najm Eddine (5/0). They are the worst away team in the league without a single point (0-0-6) and will have a difficult evening against strong home side like FUS Rabat who is undefeated at home.

There were many indications that the match against Czarni Slupsk would be one of the most difficult ones this season. Arka Gdynia coach Wojciech Bychawski can’t count on two basic players Andrzej Pluta and Stefan Kenic. They are in losing streak of 4 games, with only 1 win in the last 7 rounds and will have a difficult task to avoid the defeat against Czarni Slupsk, who found a great form with 5 wins in the last 7 games. Also, Czarni Slupsk took the win in their last 6 mutual matches.

Defending champion Mohun Bagan will be eager to stem the tide after suffering two successive defeats and only 1 win in the last 4 league rounds. They will meet the title aspirant Kerala Blasters with injuries and suspensions keeping a good number of its first choice players off the list of availability. The Spanish coach Juan Ferrando can\'t count on Colaco (8/1), Boumous (7/1), Martins (6/0), Sahal Samad (6/0), and Anwar Ali (3/0), while Hamill (9/1 hamstring injury) and Thapa (8/0 elbow injury) are doubtful. Kerala Blasters is currently placed second in the league standings with 23 points from 11 matches and will be looking for more points before the League goes in for a prolonged break owing to Indian national team’s Asian Cup engagements. They have only 1 defeat in the last 8 rounds (5-2-1) and will give their best to continue the good form.

Anderlecht grab a victory with a gift from VAR. They hosted Genk and despite going into the match as favorites, they didn\'t play well. Their opponent was more mobile and managed to take the lead in the 70th minute. They equalized with an amazing goal from Leoni in the 74th minute and won with a goal from Dreyer in the 91st minute. However, in the 29th minute, Genk won a penalty, but Schmeichel saved, Heinen took the rebound and scored. However, the goal was disallowed, because players from both teams had entered the area faster than they should have. The referee, after consultation with the VAR, disallowed the goal, but the replay showed that an Anderlecht player entered the area first and the penalty had to be retaken. They want to end 2023 victoriously and continue the amazing run of 10 undefeated matches (7-3-0). Due to injuries Amuzu (12/3), Flips (12/0), Diawara (11/0), and Raman (10/0) are out of squad. The Antwerp\'s defeat yesterday gives them extra motivation to Cercle Brugge, as if they win, they will say goodbye to 2023 on a top-six place. It\'s expected to play closed on counter-attacks, but three key players Denkey (19/15 top scorer), Siquet (19/0) and Ravych (13/0) are out of selection. At Lotto Park, they have a catastrophic tradition, losing 12 from the last 13 visits and I think that Anderlecht will finish the 2023 in the best possible way.

Taunton has a severe test against a team eight points clear at the top of the table, having suffered just one loss in their past 17 league matches. That defeat at Welling United towards the end of November is one of only three the Glovers have experienced all season, with the other two coming during August as they adapted to life in a lower division following their relegation last season from the main National League. Their current status on the summit though makes them firm favorites to make a quick return to the highest echelon of non-league football.

Despite snatching a point with a stoppage time equalizer against Tonbridge on Saturday, the Peacocks dropped a place to 17th in the table although they have sufficient games in hand to climb to mid-table safety. More of that fighting spirit will be required against a Yeovil, because Jay Foulston and Malachi Linton are out of the team. Yeovil is flying high at the top with 9-3-0 record at home and this is a chance to revenge for the 1-0 defeat in FA Cup match in October.

The descent for Al Ittihad continued in the league. They lined up decimated by the number of absences they had to manage with just 16 players and fell victim to a surprise 1-3 loss in Jeddah to relegation candidate Al Raed. The difference from the 3rd place and the “hated” Al Ahli SC has increased to -9 points with one match less. Coach Gallardo still has serious problems with absences and can’t count on Al Shanqiti (15/0), Bamsaud (15/0), Al Olayan (13/0 suspended), Felipe (11/0), Hawsawi (11/0), Sharahili (7/0), Al Nashri (2/0), and Al Oboud (2/0). Al Nassr remain in the hunt for the top spot and three points today is the only way to stay in the title race. They are in great form with 8 wins in the last 9 league matches and must use the current atmosphere in Al Ittihad

Stade Malien is one of the strongest teams in this championship. Due to the obligations in CAF Confederation Cup, where they are playing really good, they have to recover 5 games compared to the leaders. Their record in the league is 4-1-0, having 4 consecutive wins. Last season, Black Stars secured survival with +9 points from the relegation zone, but due to serious financial problems many key players left the team. This was visible in their results suffering 9 defeats after 10 rounds, with 7 defeats in a row. Their team is composed by youth players and I don’t see how can they escape the 26th of March Stadium without a big defeat. All victories of Stade Malien were achieved by two or more goals difference.

Westerlo faced Antwerp at Bosuilstadion, in a neighboring derby of the Antwerp district. Their task was extremely difficult and it became even more difficult when they found themselves losing in the delays of the first half. They \"turned\" the match around within six minutes (Stassin 71\' and 77\'), but the home team scored in the 85th minute. The draw gave them a lot of confidence and got them out of the last four, even with a tie. With seven points in the last three matches, coach De Mil seems to find a rhythm and wants to end 2023 on a positive note. Due to injuries Matsuo (15/0), Frigan (14/4) and Perdichizzi (6/0) are out of the squad.

RWDM appears like a punching bag in the match against Club Brugge. On August 20th, they were thrashed 7-1 (away) by Club Brugge and now they concede six goals (1:6). They are still out of the relegation zone, but coach Cacapa has serious problems with absences. Due to various reasons defenders Klaus (14/0), Segovia (13/1), Heris (11/0), Le Joncour (9/0), Sambu (5/0), midfielder Biron (9/3), and De Sart (5/0) are out, while Reine-Adelaide (12/0) and Dailly (11/0) are doubtful.

Westerlo is psychologically uplifted, going into the match full of confidence to continue the good momentum.

The score (0-0) away to Ankaragucu was not bad result for Hatayspor (the match was played without fans). That was the fourth consecutive league match that Volkan Demirel\'s team (0-2-2) has not won and second that they didn\'t scored. In terms of points, they are comfortable, in the middle of the table and only absences are Lamkel Ze (13/3), Ghoulam (10/1), and Çörekçi (8/0). There is no other word except „suicide“ to describe Besiktas, who are struggling after the 1-3 home defeat by Alanyaspor. A result that also brought developments in the matter of the coach. Coach Rıza Çalımbay, who criticized his players after the match, said that his contract was extended until December 27. However, after a short time, Beşiktaş announced that Çalımbay contact is terminated. The Tupras Stadium had many empty seats, a sign that the fans are turning their backs. Their is a strong disapproval from the fans who want Sergen Yalçın to be a new coach. They are winless in the last 3 rounds and have many absences like Oxlade-Chamberlain (14/4), Aboubakar (12/4), Uysal (12/0), Rosier (12/0), Ghezzal (10/1), Bailly (5/0), Onana (4/0), Meraş (2/0).

Supporting Besiktas at the moment is like putting your hands on fire. The \"Black Eagles\", who have bad psychology, absences, no first coach on the bench will have a lot of problems against strong home side like Hatayspor, who has only 1 defeat in 7 home matches.

I was too „smart“ on Saturday when I went against the big drop in odds, but this time will play against Maccabi Tel Aviv. The difficult situation of Maccabi Tel Aviv will continue. The Yellows lost against Hapoel Haifa (96:104) after the foreign players announced that they would not appear in the league games this week. Oded Ketch’s rotation in the game against Haifa included six players, including John Dibartolomeo (3.1 pp, 2.5 reb, 1 ass), who returned on Saturday night for the first time after the 16th of November. The youths Shachar Doron and Roi Behar will get more minutes in order not to exhaust the senior Israeli players, who played +30 minutes on Saturday night.

The foreigners who are out of the squad are:

Lorenzo Brown (14.8 pp, 2.7 red, 6.8 ass)
Wade Baldwin (14.5 pp, 2.2 reb, 4.9 ass)
Bonzie Colson (12.8 pp, 6 reb, 0.8 ass)
Josh Nebo (10.4 pp, 6.6 reb, 0.7 ass)
Jasiel Rivero (7.7 pp, 3.2 reb, 1.1 ass)
James Webb (6.5 pp, 3.2 reb, 0.7 ass)
Antonius Cleveland (5.8 pp, 1.6 reb, 0.7 ass)

Hapoel Beer Sheva managed to register a second win in a row at home when they beat Hapoel Eilat (96:85). The leading scorer in Beer Sheva so far this season is Egor Koulechov, who scores 15.3 points per game, while other key players are Americans Grant Sherfield and JaKeenan Gant. Hapoel Beer Sheva is well rested and must use current problems in Maccabi Tel Aviv to score the third home victory in a row.

The Egyptian Super Cup will begin with its new system, with the participation of 4 clubs, hosted in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi. After the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup, Al Ahly will play against Ceramica Cleopatra. The Cairo giant is a heavy favorite to win the title as they did 13 times in the last 20 editions. The squad is full of quality players and only absences are Ahmed Abdelkader (4/0) and Reda Slim (2/1). Ceramica Cleopatra is playing a good season, but today their top scorer and main player Ahmed Kendouci (6/5) is out of the squad. In their 7 mutual matches, Al Ahly has 5 wins and 2 draws, and I think that has more quality and experience in their ranks to qualify into the final.

Zakakiou reached 10 winless league matches (0-5-5). They lost to AEL Limassol at home (1-4) in the last round, showing terrible defensive problems once again. They concede 7 goals in the last two games and today coach Louka has enormous problems. Due to suspensions or injuries Reynolds (15/1), Šlogar (14/2), Sarfo (14/0), Delmiro (13/1), Castro (12/5), Yusuf (11/0), and Ruiz (11/0) are out the squad. Aris Limassol is looking for a victim to break out the winless run and gild the pill after three consecutive defeats. At home they are in top form with 5-1-1 record and only absences are Caju (12/1) and Kokorin (9/2). Zakakiou is completely unreliable defensively and won\'t have many key players. In September, Aris won away by 0-5 and expect a big comfortable win.

Otelul won away to Universitatea Cluj (0-1) against a team who was in top form with 4 consecutive, which was a phenomenal result. Coach Dorinel Munteanu was not on the bench due to suspension, and is coming on the bench against Botosani. They are a big surprise this season and are only 4 points away from a playoff place with one game less. They have some problems with absences because Cisotti (19/4), Bodisteanu (19/1) and Silva (11/0) are out of the squad. Botosani is a poor team this season and showed that with their performance in the last round, losing 0-2 at home by Dinamo Bucharest, who was winless from 19th of August 2023. Andrei Patache’s days on the bench are coming to an end after the crowd’s strong protests after the match ended, and there is a serious possibility of Mihai Ciobanu’s return. They are in series of 3 defeats in a row and are winless after 20 rounds (0-9-11). Due to suspension left winger Pinson (17/1) is not available.

Otelul has shown positive signs since the beginning of this year and looks capable of remaining in the division. Botosani are looking disappointing, consistently bottom of the standings without a win, and is expected to announce a new coach during the break. The hosts are better, and will give their best to win the match.

Alaves is a competitive team, but they already struggled and were outplayed by the top teams this season. Three days ago, Girona totally dominated and easily score a 3-0 win. Also, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid beat them 2:1 and at home they lost against Las Palmas (0-1), Osasuna (0-2) and Athletic Bilbao (0-2). Coach Garcia confirmed that the team has a bit of fatigue and made a short preparation for this match, which is normal as they have a short squad and this will be their second game in 3 days. They are struggling to score goals because their main striker Omorodion is missing many chances due to their inexperience and have the worst attack of the league with only 14 goals in 17 matches. They will play against the best defense in LaLiga who has conceded just 11 goals in 17 games (and 3 of them were scored by Atletico Madrid in a single match). Due to injury defender Sedlar (11/1) is out.

Real Madrid is playing very well. The Englishman Bellingham is a beast and Rodrygo is in great form. They have a lot of absences in the last couple of weeks, but are playing very well without those players and winning games easily. Furthermore, they need to stay in the title race as Girona is 2 points above so they can’t afford to lose more points, especially with relegation candidates like Alaves. They already suffered a draw against Betis in their last away game.

It won’t be easy, but I believe that Real Madrid who is in great form (13-3-0 in the last 16 games) will do their best to win the match. In their last 7 mutual matches, Real Madrid have 6 wins and 1 defeat.

BBC Nord is having major problems with players. After the defeat in Wels (110-74), in which the loss of top scorer Mario Spaleta (15.9 points, 7 rebounds, 1.8 assists) was particularly noticeable, they once again have to go into this game with a weakened squad. Three regular players will be missing against Traiskirchen Lions because of a persistent viral infection. In addition to Spaleta, Petar Cosic (5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists), and Filip Bjelanovic (14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists), a few youngsters also have to give up due to health reasons. Traiskirchen Lions is currently flying high. They won the last five championship games and has also clearly moved into the cup final with an 85:66 win against Graz UBSC. These should be a blow out victory for Traiskirchen Lions.

After hard work and suffering, Rizespor got the point (1-1) in Ankara last Monday night, in a match marred by the episode created by the president of Ankaragucu with the victim of the match referee (punch in the face). This point is a relief for the Black Sea team, the most important thing is that they remain in the top ten, if we consider that at the beginning of the season they were given as favorites for relegation. They are unbeaten in the last 5 games (3-2-0), while at home have a good 4-2-1 record. Due to suspension Topçu (14/0) is out, while Mocsi (12/1) and Diouf (3/0) are injured. Pendikspor has 3 consecutive defeats and the worst defense in the league (33 goal conceded in 15 rounds). They have many absences like Yardimci (13/5 top scorer), Cekici (13/1), Bitin (10/0), Asan (10/0), Rassoul (6/0), Tasdemir (3/0), and Eze (3/0). Rizespor is a fighting team and at home are always tricky team to beat.

Novi Pazar has a very strong and quality team with great players like Scepovic, Ljajic, Soumah. They are in superb form with 5 wins in the last 6 matches, while at home is „impossible“ to beat with 7-0-2 record. Spartak Subotica is a team from the middle of the table. They have 5 defeats in 8 away matches and today have some absences like Kerkez (17/0 key defender), Manojlovic (7/0 first goalkeeper), and Bogicevic (4/0). In my opinion, Novi Pazar has a better team and should score another victory.

Aris secured 5th place in SL, with 3 wins in the last 4 matches (3-0-1). They are the second best home team with a 6-1-1 record and will give their best to stay in race for the playoff. The only long term absences are Ferrari (9/0), Panagidis (7/0), Doukouré (5/0), and Pavičić (2/0). Lamia suffered the 5th defeat in the last 6 matches (0-1-5), at home by Volos. They have serious problems away from home with 1-2-4 record, and today many players like defenders Tzanetopoulos (14/0 suspended), Pavlovets (6/0), Saramantas (4/0), midfielders Martinez (11/2), Longo (11/1), Santana (10/0), Tsilianidis (5/0), Mula (2/0), and Lake (1/0) are out of the team. Aris is in good shape, they will play the 2nd consecutive match without their fans, but Lamia is in a bad situation and will have a hard task to avoid a defeat in Thessaloniki.

The captain and best player of Helios Domzale, Blaž Mahkovic has been dealing with an adductor muscle injury. Two days ago in the match against Zlatibor, he got an injury in the 13th minute of the match and from that on Zlatibor had an easy task to grab a big 72:89 win. He is absolutely the best player with 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 31 minutes per match and should be a heavy blow. Siroki Brijeg is one of the candidates to win ABA 2 League. They are in great form with 5-1 record and are playing in front of their fans.

Viktoria Köln ended a negative streak of six games (0-2-4) without a win, after beating the worst team in the league Freiburg II. Coach Janssen has serious problems for the upcoming match against Verl. Due to injuries key players Handle (18/1), Fritz (17/0), Greger (17/0), Bogićević (15/3), and Henning (12/1) are out of the team. Everything was against Verl in the last two rounds. In the last match against Ulm, they were behind the score from the 2nd minute with an own goal, the second came with a penalty in the 45th minute, while they were also left with 10 players from the 63rd minute. After series of 9 undefeated matches (7-2-0) and 5 games winning streak, they entered in small crisis with two defeats in a row, and this is a big chance to come back on the winning path against bad away team with 1-4-4 record. Due to suspension Paetow (19/2) is not available.

Lyon may have been lucky, but they got a big win, against Monaco in the Principality. The scoreline was unfair to the home side, who created too many chances, with Lyon defending superbly, having a big day with Lopes, who kept them up with great saves. For the first time this year, a second win in a row, with empty net and climbed to 16th place, on -1 point from safety. Due to injuries Alvero (8/1) and Lepenant (6/0) are out of the team. Nantes is in bad form with 5 defeats in the last 7 rounds (1-1-5). They have 5 defeats in 7 away matches and coach Gourvennec can\'t count on Pierre-Gabriel (12/0 suspended), Adson (8/0), Ganago (6/0), and Meupio (1/0). After two wins in a row, the psychology in Lyon is on the highest possible level and I will go with them to take the third win in a row and move out from the relegation zone.

Petro Atletico will host Esperance Tunis, in a match within the fourth round of the group stage of the African Champions League. The Tunisian football representative is in second place with 4 points, 3 points away from leaders Petro Atletico. They seeks to achieve a valuable victory that strengthens its chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals, but will not be an easy task due to several considerations in Luanda. The Tunisian champion is missing the services of three important players Derbali (8/1), Ghacha (6/1), and Ben Hammouda (2/0). The match is expected to take place in difficult weather conditions, which may make the task of the guests difficult. The humidity level at the time of the match will reach 75%, along with a temperature in the range of 30, and there is also a great possibility of rain. During its previous trip to Tanzania to face Al-Hilal Omdurman, Esperance suffered major physical problems due to not adapting to the height sea level and lost by 3:1.

Petro Atlético showed serious signs of its ability to compete for the title of the current version of the African Champions League. The Angolan football representative stood out for their amazing tactical development, as they were very good at applying the 3-4-3 playing method, which changed flexibly throughout the match. The Angolan team’s lineup includes several quality players, like Portuguese Alexandre Guedes, Brazilian Thiago Lima, and Honduran Jonathan Rubio.

Esperance Tunis failed to avoid defeat during the last 3 matches it played outside its stadium in the African League and the African Champions League. They lost to Congolese Mazembe 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the African League, before suffering a defeat with the same score against Moroccan Wydad in the semi-finals of the same competition. The team recently lost to Al-Hilal Omdurman of Sudan with a score of 3-1 in the second round of the group stage of the African Champions League, and I think that will have a hard task to take the three points.

PAE Egaleo is in a downward trend lately, with three consecutive away defeats. The last and heaviest against Ionikos (5-1), brings chain of reactions. After the end of the match, about 100 fans were waiting for the team to Stavros Mavrothalassitis Stadium in wild moods, with stones and baseball bats. As a result of the tension, a football player was hit in his head and was taken to the hospital. Spirits calmed down with the removal of coach Dragan Djukanovic and today experienced coach Nikos Pantelis will make his debut on the bench. Today, everyone expects an immediate recovery and victory against newly promoted Tilikratis Lefkada, in order to initially distance themselves from penultimate place. Tilikratis Lefkada relies on his home base. They are the worst away team with 0-0-6 record and a goal difference 2:16. PAE Egaleo is traditionally a good home team and expect reaction against the main relegation candidate.

Girona looked Barcelona in the eye and beat them for the first time (2-4 away) at league level. Both teams put on a good show, playing with an attacking style and defying the gaps in their defenses. Mitchell Sanchez’s team were more effective, deadly on the counter-attacks, creating 15 shots (7 on target, with 4 different scorers). They remained undefeated for the 8th consecutive game (7-1-0), while they reached 13 victories, as many as they achieved in total, last year. Due to suspension Stuani (16/6) is out, while Herrera (15/4 out in the last two games) is injured. Alaves was defeated by Las Palmas 0-1 at home, missing a win for the second round in a row (0-1-1), without finding the net. They are on -3 points from the relegation zone without away win 0-3-5, while two defenders Abqar (13/1 suspended) and Sedlar (11/1) are out. Girona is the absolute favorite and expect it to confirm against weak away side like Alaves.

Al Feiha \"landed\" suddenly after qualifying for the round of 16 in the AFC Champions League. They couldn\'t give any resistance against a spirited Al Taawon on Friday losing by 4-1. Their form is really bad with 1-2-3 streak in the league and are one of the teams that will be in danger of relegation. The injury problems are still significant and coach Rasovic can\'t count on Al Rashidi (14/0), Nwakaeme (11/3), Ricardo (9/1), Sabiri (6/1), and Malek (1/0). The 0-0 draw against Al Raed was a big setback for Al Ahli SC. They were unable to put the ball in the net, missing many important opportunities. As time went on, they turned up the pace increased the pressure, while on three occasions VAR didn\'t give them penalties and after the match, many complaints were announced to the referee.

Al Feiha have significant absences to manage again and lack the depth in the roster to cover them. The match will be played in neutral Riyadh for commercial reasons, which is an additional problem. Al Ahli SC is undefeated in the last 5 rounds, and they are in must win situation in order to keep the race for the 2nd or 3rd place on the standings.

Häcken meets Qarabağ in the last match of the year. The Europa League match in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be Per-Mathias Högmo\'s last challenge as head coach of Häcken. After five losses in as many games in the Europa League, Häcken has no promotion to play for and will have many absences like Friðriksson (22/0), Layouni (14/5), Sana (13/1), Hammar (13/0), Simon Gustafson (11/0), Abdulrazak (7/0), Hodžić (5/0), Laursen (5/0), Trpchevski (4/0), Brusberg (2/0), and Chidi (1/0). Qarabag has equal number of points with Molde and keeps their destiny in their own hands. The only absences are Medina (7/0), Ramazanov (4/0), and Quliyev (3/0).

After two successive defeats, Cardiff managed to get back on the winning path at against Millwall 1-0 in a very difficult match against an opponent from whom they suffered three consecutive defeats. They remain very close to the playoff zone, with the schedule ahead not being particularly difficult. In particular, on Saturday, they plays away to Hull, while during the holidays they will face the two newcomers Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth to close with the demanding match against Leicester. In terms of absences, long term injured Ramsey (6/3) and O\'Dowda (4/0) are not available. Birmingham showed another poor performance with Rooney on the bench and lost the West Midlands derby away to Coventry, easier than 2-0 suggests. Their image was quite problematic from very early in the match and especially in the back. If they hadn\'t made such a strong start, they would now be in the danger zone. At the moment, the climate is not the best, with just one win in nine matches (1-2-7), while on Monday they welcome Leicester. Due to injuries Drameh (15/0), Long (13/0), Laird (8/0), and Keshi Anderson (8/0) are out of the team. Cardiff is a defensive team that plays with patience at home. They must take advantage of the visitors tragic momentum, while in the last 10 mutual matches at Cardiff City Stadium, they have 7 wins and 3 draws.

Kabuscorp opened the season with superb performances. The fully packed Coqueiros Stadium always gives the necessary confidence to try to successfully take the lead in the National Championship this afternoon against Santa Rita. They are building a reputation that is slowly starting to hurt their opponents. The offensive potential increases the chances of Zeca Amaral’s team to extend the celebration, after a big 0-1 win against Primeiro de Agosto on Sunday. There is no need to be scared by what is happening, because this is a consequence of the seeds they planted in the past seasons and now have the right to eat the fruits.

Santa Rita has to accept its humble reality. Indeed, it is difficult to repeat what they did last season (finished on 7th place), as the price of fame is delaying the team’s performance in the championship. The rope hasn’t broken on the weakest side yet, but it won’t be long before that happens, because during the transfer period they sold the best players Crespo (central defender), Papel (midfielder), Fofó (left winger), Gui (right winger), and didn’t bring additional reinforcements.

Kabuscorp’s winning streak in the championship is unprecedented. No other team this season has had the same triumphant performance (3-0-0) and Santa Rita will have a hard task to avoid the defeat.

Al Sadd shows that it will be very difficult to lose this year’s title. They reacted after being eliminated from the Champions League by crushing Al Rayyan 4-0 in the “clasico” and lead the standings with +1 point from the second placed Al Gharafa, having two postponed games and a 8-1-0 record. Al Duhail “bent” from the significant absences. Coach Galtier won’t sit on the bench due to suspension and is forced to take a lot of changes, because can’t count on Hwan Kim (9/0 suspended), Olunga (8/7 top scorer), Abdulaziz (4/0), Diallo (3/2), Abdelrahman (2/0), and Abushanab (1/0). I think that Al Sadd is a better team in the moment and should continue the winning streak.

Barcelona received a “solid cuff” in the league, after a 2-4 defeat by the excellent Girona at home. It was an enjoyable game, where many chances were created on both sides, but Girona proved to be more effective. Coach Xavi has responded to his critics that Barcelona are “under construction”, needing patience from everyone, something he has made clear with president Laporta. In the Champions League, they qualified for the round of 16, but I doubt that will make another negative result. Due to injuries ter Stegen (13/0), Gavi (12/1), de Jong (9/1), and Martínez (8/0) are out of the squad. Antwerp is not at this level, having 0 points with 3:15 goal difference. In addition, they have key absences like Balikwisha (17/5 second scorer), Muja (17/4 suspended), Ekkelenkamp (16/4 suspended), Valencia (7/0), and Ondrejka (4/0). Barcelona is a heavy favorite and they need a convincing win in order to rise the self confidence in front of the match against Valencia.

Pathum United welcomes Ulsan Hyundai at BG Stadium in the 5th round of the AFC Champions League group stage. The home side still can’t find their first point in the AFC Champions League this season. They have lost 4 games in a row and most recently they lost to Kawasaki Frontale 4-2. Coach Sukkoki has serious problems with absences and can’t count on Alvarez (10/2), Songkrasin (8/3), Channgom (4/1), and Fandi (3/0).

Even though they lost in their last league game, Ulsan Hyundai had no problems in this match. because they didn’t have any players injured or banned. The two-time former Asian champion is ready to put the best set of players in order to keep their minimal hopes for the 1st place.

The absence of two key playmakers Alvarez (10/2) and Songkrasin (8/3) will definitely cause many problems in Pathum United’s midfield and I think that fast Korean midfielders together with prolific strikers Martin Adam and Min-Kyu Joo will find enough space to secure a comfortable victory.

With their mind on the big match against Antwerp, Shakhtar Donetsk couldn\'t get over the hurdle of newcomers Zhytomyr in the league, staying 0-0 at home (Lviv). The opponent\'s closed defense allowed only several good opportunities. Now the distance from the top has increased to eight points, but they have two matches less. In the Champions League, they made the big surprise and took the three points with a 1-0 win against the group\'s favorite, Barcelona and with a win tonight, they locked the third place, and will fight with Porto for the 2nd place. Antwerp is not at this level, having 0 points with 3:14 goal difference. In addition, they have key absences like Ekkelenkamp (14/3), De Laet (11/0), Keita (8/0), Valencia (7/0) and Ondrejka (4/0). This match will be played in Hamburg (Germany), but it\'s not a problem for the Ukrainian champion to score another victory.

Eulma has big financial problems. The senior team players are on indefinite strike for the second week in a row. The coaching staff, led by Mohamed Boutadjine, didn’t find a solution to the serious situation plaguing the club, following in the footsteps of the senior players. Under several ATDs from creditors, the club’s account is blocked and there is no possibility of being able to receive the slightest subsidy from anyone who would like to make a contribution. In today’s match, the first team is composed of many juniors and players from the second team. Batna is undefeated in the opening 5 rounds (2-3-0) and must use the current situation in Eulma and take a comfortable victory.

After seven away defeats in a row, Jong Ajax managed to get the first positive result as a guest. The Amsterdam club drew 1-1 against promotion favorite NAC Breda and reached ten points on 18th place. They have suffered one defeat in their last four matches and coach Dave Vos hopes that his team will collect enough points until the end of 2023, taking advantage of the fact that they have a passable schedule ahead of them. The only absence today is Misehouy (8/5).

A few days after the 1-8 drubbing at home by Cambuur, Oss suffered another defeat in front of their home crowd. This time, they were beaten 0-1 by Maastricht and remained at the bottom of the table. This was the fourth defeat in a row, scoring just ten goals after 14 rounds, which is the worst performance in the Eerste Divisie. Their is a serious problems with absences for the trip to Amsterdam, because Ladan (10/1), Rehmi (10/0), Damen (8/0), Korte (8/0), Eijgenraam (7/0), Zitman (6/0), Cox (3/0), Gertsen (1/0), and Martinus (1/0) are out of the team.

The climate in Oss is really bad. The fans are demanding the removal of coach Ruud Brood from the technical leadership and several footballers are shown to be indifferent and with tendencies to run away. Jong Ajax have the opportunity to add three points to their credit and continue the unbeaten series.

Cholet is in dreadful form with 6 defeats in the last 7 games. The culmination of their bad performance was the 2:1 defeat in the French Cup by amateur team Coulaines, while today Jarju (12/5 top scorer), Misiatu (9/0), Robinand (7/0), Adama Diop (5/0), Zekovic (4/0), Botton (4/0), Diaby (3/0), Diop (3/0), and Belaid (1/0) are not in the team. Martigues entered in a winning series of 3 matches and must give their best to stay close to the promotion places.

Due to the financial situation, similar to the last match, Pfadi Winterthur will have to include more of their youth boys in the senior team, For example, on Saturday in the victory over Suhr Aarau, only Swiss players were in the squad and almost all of them came from their youth team. This Tuesday, Sävehof will be appearing in the European League at the Axa Arena.

The description “horror night” doesn’t describe what happened last Tuesday in the handball hall in Partille, a district of Gothenburg. With the 41:20 defeat against Sävehof, Pfadi Winterthur suffered the biggest defeat and the most goals conceded in the club’s 33-season European Cup history. They made 16 technical errors and Sävehof’s two goalkeepers parried 50 and 59 percent of the shots, respectively. Coach Cvetkovic will again have a super hard task and can’t expect a lot from his young handball players, who are the second team by the lowest average age of all 32 teams in the European League.

Three days after losing to Huesca in the Asobal League, Cuenca will play against Gorenje in the EHF European League. Last week, on Slovenian soil, Cuenca lost 28-20, after having gone into the break with an 11-10 result. In the second half, they completely collapsed, which caused a painful defeat. It\'s clear that the Cuenca must improve their performances, but the squad is more than diminished due to the absence of Sergi March, Rubén Río, Teixeira, and Dani Neves. Without a front line, with limited outside shooters, they will have a super hard task to avoid the 4th defeat in a row. Gorenje has won the two games played at home, against Pfadi Winterthur and Cuenca, while they lost on their visit to the Swedish Sävehof, 36-34. A victory in Cuenca would put them one and a half feet in the next phase and expect to do that without any problems.

Bursaspor will face Telekom Bonn away in the FIBA ​​Champions League. It was announced that top scorer Johnathan Hamilton (12.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 30 minutes) will not play. This is a huge blow for the Turkish team, who has two heavy defeats in the opening rounds. In the last round, they lost at home to Telekom Bonn (73-91), where Hamilton was the top scorer of the match with 17 points.

No matter what happens in this match, Greece will finish 3rd in the group. It will claim qualification to the finals of Euro 2024, through the UNL playoffs (opponent Kazakhstan in the semi-finals, on 21/3/2024, and then Georgia or Luxembourg). They come from a friendly win behind closed doors against New Zealand, but today coach Poyet has some key absences like Kourbelis (suspended), Mantalos (suspended), Tsimikas, Baldock, Tzavellas, and Siopis.

France broke every record, dismantling weak Gibraltar 14-0, while recording two great performances. That was the biggest victory in its history and the biggest in European championship qualifiers. They secured the qualification for the finals, at the top of the standings with seven victories and 27:1 goal difference. Despite some absences like Nkunku, Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Pavard, coach Deschamps has a top quality players to finish the qualifications with a victory. 

At least 18 players from the Afghanistan national team are boycotting the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Qatar, Kuwait and India over their treatment by the football federation. Footballers from the Afghanistan squad sent a letter last month to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA claiming allegations of serious corruption by their country’s Afghanistan Football Federation. Their captain Noor Husin who plays for National League side Southend United said: “We really want change. We want to help domestic players because the money they are getting from FIFA is not being used in the right way. We have the worst flights possible and we have to stay in substandard hotels.”

Due to this all main players like Husin (Southend), Ahadi (HIFK), Nazary (St Albans), Noor (DPMM), Popalzay (PSPS Riau), Haidary (GVV Unitas), Sherzad (Biel), Skandari (B36 Torshavn), Ahmadi (Pitea), Akbari (Torpedo Kutaisi), Shayesteh (Sreenidi Deccan), Haydary (Torpedo Kutaisi), Sharza (Ariana), Zamani, Musawi, Walizada, Haidari, and Mohammadi, while Farzad Ataie is suspended after the red card against Qatar. In the first round, they were smashed by Qatar 8-1, playing with many amateur’s from their domestic league.

Kuwait have their backs against the wall after losing 0-1 away defeat against India. Coach Rui Pinto has taken charge and I expect an improved performance and a big win.

Due to the s

Due to a wave of illness and not enough players available, the Chemnitzer away game at Altglienicke was canceled at the end of October. Although they are still short on staff, but they are at least ready to play. Chemnitzer has been struggling with an exceptionally long injury list for months. Coach Christian Tiffert\'s team wants to score points in Berlin\'s Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark despite ongoing injury problems. Their top scorer Bozic is out, while the main problem is at the goalkeeper position, because second goalkeeper Stanley Birke has a gastrointestinal illness, while main goalkeeper Niclas Erlbeck is suspended for yellow. That\'s why a 15 years old kid will be between the posts. This is an ideal chance for Altglienicke to come back on the winning way, after 3 defeats in a row. 

Graficar is heavily depleted for the upcoming match against Jedinstvo. Like always when the national team break is, coach Neđić can’t count on 7 important players, who are in the U21, U19 and U17 teams. Jedinstvo Ub is owned by the famous Serbian football player Nemanja Matic, who is building a respectable team step by step, which will surely soon be an important part of the Super League. They have preserved the skeleton of the team and strengthened it with several quality players, who can raise the quality and intend to fight for promotion. Last season they were one of the strongest teams at home with a 10-5-3 record and this season has a 4-2-1 home record. They must use the absence in Graficar and score another victory.

This is a meeting of two sides in very different form as Stirling Albion kick off a double-header with Cove Rangers at the Balmoral Stadium. The two sides clash this weekend, before reuniting at Forthbank next weekend for a Scottish Cup third round match. It looks to be tough for Stirling, who have won just one of their last nine games, having 4 defeats in a row. Stirling boss Darren Young has serious problems with absences and can’t count on Spence (11/1), Cooper (10/2), Hilson (10/0), Leitch (10/0), Cummins (8/1), and Davidson (7/0). Cove Rangers have recovered from a slow start to romp all the way to third place on the back of five straight league wins, Paul Hartley’s players are unbeaten in league action since a defeat to Alloa on 2 September. This is an ideal chance for them to continue the winning streak and keep the race with Falkirk for a direct promotion place.

This match was in serious doubt, because Southend contacted the National League to postpone the match, but they refused the request. They only have 13 players available, because due to injury crisis and international call-ups out of the squad are Husin (19/3), Demetriou (14/0), Powell (11/2), Andeng Ndi (9/0 first goalkeeper), Vilhete (8/0), and Kanu (5/4). After the 2-0 away defeat to Altrincham, they are on +3 points from the danger zone and I doubt that they will have any chance against main promotion candidate Chesterfield who is the absolute leader on the standings with a 15-2-1 record.

Hartlepool is in serious crisis with 7 defeats, 1 draw and 1 win in the last 9 matches. The problems for the trip to York are even bigger than the previous matches, because in total 11 players are missing. Out of the squad are David Ferguson (19/1), Joe Grey (17/3), Charlie Seaman (16/2), Josh Umerah (14/1), Luke Hendrie (12/0), Alex Lacey (11/0), Finney (8/1), Mancini (6/2), and Dodds (5/0), Joe Mattock (3/0), and Mitch Hancox (1/0). York is undefeated in the last 4 rounds. They entered in a mini winning streak of 2 matches and in these conditions, where the guests are crippled, I think that York can grab another victory

Spartak Subotica is the team that invested the most in ABA 2 league and wants express entry into the ABA 1 competition. They are on 3-1 record and suffered their first defeat by Podgorica three days ago. As I said in my last analysis against Siroki Brijeg, GKK Sibenka has a lot of problems with absences throughout the season. They have a very short rotation and tight schedule with a 4th match in the last 8 days. In ABA 2 league, they already have 4 defeats and their main player Lovro Mandalinić (11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists) got an injury in the last match and is out. After this match, which is played in Zlatibor (Serbia), they will immediately travel to Zagreb for the match against Dubrava, which will be played on Sunday. Coach Damir Milačić said that he will rest some key players, because the domestic championship is much more important and expect a big double digit win by Subotica.

After the phenomenal last season, Prometey has a really bad start to the season. Three days ago, sports director Bronislaw Wawrzynczyk, who was responsible for recruiting the roster was fired, together with four players:

top scorer Marcus Keene (11.66 points, 3 rebounds, 3.75 assists)
Rashard Kelly (7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists)
rotation player Andrii Voinalovych
rotation player Viacheslav Petrov

In European elite basketball, it’s difficult to find a team that would suffer so much due to injuries. Since the middle of last season, the Prometheus infirmary has not been empty. At the start of the season, their biggest reinforcement Lithuanian guard Arnoldas Kulboka was injured, while Yusuf Sanon and Davon Reed are back in the team, but are still not at their optimal level.

Hapoel Tel Aviv is a very serious opponent with a balance of 4-1 in their first five matches. The only defeat came in the last game when they lost in Paris to the local “Paris Basketball” (114:87), which many experts consider as one of the main contenders for winning the Eurocup. Before this setback, Hapoel Tel Aviv was on a four-match winning streak, with three straight away wins.

All in all, I think that Hapoel Tel Aviv is a better team in every aspect and should easily cover this line.

The unstoppable Paris (6-0) looks for its seventh consecutive victory when they travel to Spain to face Joventut, which needs to bounce back from last week’s home defeat by London Lions. The home side is dealing with serious injury issues. Coach Duran will be without:

Andres Feliz (16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4 assists)
Ante Tomic (12.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists)
Vladimir Brodziansky (7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists)

Coach Duran said: „ We are going to face the most difficult team in the Eurocup. We are playing a lot of games with inexperienced players, young players who now have the opportunity to play a lot of minutes“.

The Paris head coach is Tuomas Iisalo, last year at Telekom Basket Bonn with whom they won the Champions League and reached the championship final in Germany. Together with the coach, there are six players from Bonn: TJ Shorts, Herrera, Malcolm, Ward, Kessens and Kratzer. The ranks of Paris Basketball also include the former Treviso player Jantunen and the young talent born in 2002 Nadir Hifi. In the French LNB league, they won 9 from 11 matches, and I think that are simply unstoppable so far and will easily cover this line.

Leganes confirmed its superiority against bottom ranked Cartagena, winning 0-3 away from home. In the second half, they showed the character of a team aiming for promotion, and scored three goals. Their goalkeeper Alcoado Conte, has not conceded a goal in 539 official minutes (not including stoppage time), while at home, they have conceded just two goals in seven matches, with a record of 5-1-1. Due to suspension only absence is Neyou (14/0).

The draw (2-2) with Mirandes at home was \"tasteful\" in a bad way for Levante and they remained without a win for  third consecutive match (0-2-1). Away from home, they have just one defeat in seven games (3-3-1), but today coach Calleja is facing serious problems and can\'t count on seven important players - top scorer Bouldini (14/5 suspended), Lozano (14/1 suspended), Brugue (12/1 suspended), first goalkeeper Fernandez (8/0 out in the last round), Algobia (7/0 out in the last round), Fabrício (6/3 out in the last 4 rounds), and Garcia (6/0 long term injury) are out of the squad.

Leganes is showing seriousness and stability counting 5 wins in a row. They will line up with just one absence, unlike Levante who will compete with 7 significant losses. I\'m going with the most inform team at the moment.

The management of Botev Vratsa imposed fines on the players after the team\'s series of poor results. They are on a streak of 6 games without a win and 5 consecutive defeats, having slipped to the penultimate position in the standings. Away from Vratsa they are the worst team in the league with 1-1-6 record, and today key defender Luiz Soares (15/0) is suspended, while striker Brayan Perea (15/3) is doubtful. This is an ideal chance for Slavia to take the win and be only 1 point away to leave the relegation group. In their last three mutual matches in Sofia, the home side celebrated.

ABC is eagerly awaiting the end of the championship to officially start planning for the next season, which will find them again in the 3rd division. With the home draw (1-1) against Avai, their relegation was also confirmed mathematically. Their image was bad in the first 45 minutes and found themselves losing with a goal in the 36th minute. In the second half, they were a completely different team and equalized in the 86th minute. They have only 1 win in the last 19 rounds (1-8-10), and today coach Fuchs can\'t count on many players like Wellington (17/0), Sergio (16/4), Alemão (12/0), Evandro (12/0), Anderson (12/0), Geovane (8/0), Genílson (8/0), Silva (6/0), Andrey (4/0), Lima (2/0), and Walfrido.

Criciuma has -2 points from the 4th place, which gives a promotion to the Serie A, with one game less from Sport Recife. The two remaining games at home (12-1-4 record) are against unranked teams, while the two away games are against teams that are also aiming for promotion. That\'s why this is a must win match for them and have only one absence Barreto (8/0).

Panathinaikos hosts Apollon Patras in an empty hall due to OAKA suspension, in a match that concludes the 5th round of the Greek Basket League. The “greens” come from a bad performance in the defeat by Barcelona in the Euroleague. The “clover” team was behind the score even with 28 points, but in the 4th quarter, the difference was reduced to 80-72. This appearance “hurt” the ego of Ergin Ataman and certainly spoiled the atmosphere a bit but also the good image that had been created in the ranks of the club, after the big double digit win over Olympiakos in the championship

Tonight, they must return to winning ways and good performances with the aim of extending their unbeaten run in the league and remain at the top of the table. At the same time, they will look to improve their self confidence in view of the difficult continuation, as there are two important away games against Alba Berlin and Aris.

On the other hand, Apollon Patras counts three consecutive defeats in the championship, as a result of which, they are at the penultimate position of the standings. In the previous round, they were defeated at home with a heavy 69-87 by Kolossos Rhodes, in a game which was the “swan song” of Nikos Vetoulas to the technical leadership of the club, after the 49-year-old coach resigned from his duties. The fortunes of Apollon Patras were temporarily taken over by Kostas Tzamakos and Spyros Deraos, who will guide the team in tonight’s game.

Panathinaikos can count on the services of Kostas Sloukas, who trained normally yesterday and was made available to Ergin Ataman. Papapetrou and Vildosa remain permanently out. Apollon Patras will not have at its disposal the top scorer of the Greek league, TJ Starks (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists), who stayed in Patras due to injury.

All in all, this is a one sided match, where Panathinaikos is two classes above their opponent.

On Saturday, Cibona finally took the first ABA league win at home against Mornar 73:72. In the ABA league, they can count on all their players, while in the domestic league, they play with 6-7 senior team players (because transfers are not registered), while the others are from the youth academy. Before the ABA league match, they grabbed a phenomenal victory away to Split, which was a shocking result. The main reason why I took this handicap early is because injury and illness crisis at Cedevita Junior.

Coach Damir Mulaomerović said: “We are in big problems due to injuries and illness of many players. I hope that we will train well before the game and prove ourselves energetically – and try to beat Cibona. We’re certainly not going to have an easy game, because of those injuries and illness, center Jan Kosi was out for the whole week“.

Getafe`break out” in the Cup against Tardienta (6th division) with a 0-12 win away from home, taking qualification for the second round. They lined up with just two starters, where Oscar Rodriguez stood out, scoring a hat-trick. In the league, they were “stuck” in a 0-0 draw with Mallorca away, reaching five straight draws, while they remained winless in the last six rounds (0-5-1). They have 12 points, with +5 points from the relegation zone and always relies on its home ground, where they are undefeated (2-3-0), maintaining a positive tradition with Cádiz (4-1-1) in the last 5 games. Today three key players Suárez (9/0), Álvarez (9/1), and Angileri (3/0) are back, while only absent is Arambarri (7/0).

After „toil and suffering” Cadiz qualified for the second round of the Cup. They passed Badalona Futur (4th division) through a penalty shootout, and started the match with 11 substitutes. In the league, they drew 2-2 with Sevilla at home, ignoring the victory for the seventh consecutive games (0-3-4). Today, coach Sergio has many key absences like Fali (11/0 suspended), Sobrino (11/0 suspended), Alejo (11/0 suspended), Luis Hernández (7/1), Fede (3/1), Zaldúa (1/0), and Ocampo.

Getafe has the first reason for the victory, as they play in front of their home crowd, while maintaining a positive tradition against Cádiz. The away team will line up with significant absences and generally doesn’t inspire away from Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla.

Similar to the senior team, Jong Ajax is in serious crisis. They are at the bottom of the standings with a 1-3-8 record, with 30 goals conceded, and having the worst defense in the division. The only victory this year was recorded on October 6 at home against Venlo. Due to injury top scorer Misehouy (8/5) is out, while Hlynsson (second scorer 7/3 played 72 minutes yesterday against Heerenveen), Kian Fitz-Jim (3/0 left to Excelsior), and Rasmussen (2/1 left to Nordsjaelland) are not available. Willem II has seven straight wins (six in Eerste Divisie and 1 in the Cup) and are main favorite come back in the Eredivisie.

Shanghai Sharks will have a fierce battle with Xinjiang in the 5th round of CBA league. The Shanghai team has a sluggish start to this season. After 4 rounds, they are ranked second from the bottom with only 1 win and 3 defeats. In the last game they lost to Fujian, where the national team player Zhelin Wang (14.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists) suffered a back injury and will be sidelined for 6 weeks. This is a huge blow, because he was the best Chinese player and third top scorer. It is worth mentioning that Shanghai Sharks has also consumed a lot of energy in the last two games, especially the fierce \"double overtime\" battle with Qingdao, where the final defeat caused them physical and mental frustration. Xinjiang opened the season with 3 wins and 1 defeat. They have three Americans in their ranks and are favorites to cover this line.

Ittihad Kalba will be heavily depleted for the upcoming match against Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai. Coach Majidi can’t count on Bessa (6/2 suspended), Kiss (6/1 suspended), Rashid Obaid (6/0), Alamiri (5/0), Gustavo (4/0), and Caio (2/0). They have only 2 victories after 6 rounds, and this is a good chance for Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai to continue their unbeaten run. Due to suspensions Milivojevic (6/0) and Khamis (1/0) are out in the guests team, but have enough quality in their roster to grab a comfortable win.

In the midweek, Las Palmas qualified for the second round of the Copa del Rey, knocking out Manacor (5th division) by 0-3. They lined up with several substitutes, while the goals were scored after the 68th minute. In the championship, they achieved a great victory over Almeria 1-2, taking a significant “breather” in terms of points (are +8 from the relegation line). Due to various reasons Viera (9/2), Ramírez (4/0), and Lemos (3/0) are out of the team. Atlético Madrid did their duty against Alaves, winning 2-1 at home. They were absolutely dominant in the first half, unsettling the opposing defense several times, and scored two goals. They remained at ‘-3’ from the top and coach Simeone is expected to renew his cooperation with his favorite club. Due to long term injuries Lino (7/1), Depay (4/2), and Lemar (3/0) are not available. Las Palmas will look to take on Atletico Madrid at home, but Colo Simeone’s side is unbeaten in the last 9 matches (7-2-0). In fact, the guests maintain a good tradition with their opponent, and I think that will continue the positive run of results.

After defeating Bahir Dar Kenema in the first round, Ethiopian Insurance is far from victory in the last three games (two draws and one defeat). Many gaps have been noticed in the offensive line, without creating goal scoring opportunities. The fact that the team scored only one goal in the last three games, shows that the attacking potential is really weak. Coach Gebremedhen Haile has some injury problems because he can’t count on Kemal Habib (3/1), Dejene Tekalign (3/0), Bernand Ocheng, while Abdul Karim Mohammed (4/0) is doubtful.

St. George is at the top of the league with three wins and one draw from four games. They enter this game looking to regain their lead and return to winning ways, after the 2-2 draw against Adama City. Coach Zerihun Shengeta, who has built a strong front line, with an average of 2.7 goals per game. Their attacking play is also the team’s strong point. However, it is safe to say that the team has a strong defensive formation as they play with two midfielders who provide cover for the defense. They are the team with the highest number of goals scored in the league, and there is no player who will miss the away game.

The two clubs have met 25 times in the league so far, and St. George’s won 18 times, scoring 47 goals, while Ethiopian Insurance won only 2 times. Last season, St. George took 2-1 and 1-7 wins, and there is no home advantage for Ethiopian Insurance, because both teams shared the Addis Ababa Stadium.

Persik Kediri will have many absences for the hard away trip to Borneo. Due to various reasons Renan (15/3), Munawar (14/0), Lyngbo (10/1), Eufrazio (7/2), Agung (5/0), Irawan (5/0), and Juliansyah (2/0) are out of the squad. Borneo is the leader on the standings and is playing in superb form with 5 wins and 1 draw in the last 6 rounds. As the best home team this is a big chance to continue the winning streak. 

Trapani is absolutely the best team in Group I and proved that with a 9-0-0 record and 26:2 goal difference. The squad is composed by quality players for this rank such as Andrea Cocco (ex Cagliari, Frosinone and Verona player), Oliver Kragl (ex Benevento, Ascoli and Ried player), Mauro Bollino (ex Foggia and Pisa player) and many others. They are going to Reggio Calabria to continue their phenomenal run of results and will meet the home side, who have a lot of problems with absences. Due to injuries or suspensions Mungo (8/0), Zanchi (7/0), Martiner (6/0), Cham (5/1), Parodi (4/1), Ponzo (2/0), Bontempi (1/0), and Bright (1/0) are out of the team. Reggio Calabria has only 1 win in the last 4 rounds and I think that Trapani will have another easy task in front of them.

Altay did an incredible job and avoided relegation last season. Only two teams were relegated last season due to an earthquake in February, which helped Altay. This season are the main candidates for relegation, and these are the reasons. First, they have a transfer ban and they need a miracle to lift the ban (due to debts to former players). They lost two key foreign players Naderi (31/2) and Bjorkander (30/1) in the summer. Currently, they only have one foreign player in the squad, Marco Paixao, who was last season’s top scorer of the league. They heavily rely on him again, but he is 39 years old. Another striker is 42-year-old Murat Uluc, who quit his career in 2018, but due to a transfer ban, he renewed his player license. They are playing deep and tight defense, because the organizer and main defender is 42 years old Ibrahim Ozturk. Simply, this team is full of „old“ players. After 10 league rounds, they are at the bottom of the standings with 1-2-7 record.

The Izmir team will play against two difficult teams Bandirmaspor away on Sunday and 1st placed Eyupspor at home and that’s the main reason why their coach Goksu decided to play with reserves and youth players.

Aliaga is the leader in 3rd league Group 1, having 7 league wins in a row and must use the heavy rotations in Altay to progress in the next round.

I already wrote about enormous problems in Vardar. They somehow took two wins in a row, but they traveled to Struga heavily depleted with a „white flag“. Due to suspensions and injuries Mishkovski (11/0), captain Micevski (9/3), Trajkoski (8/0), Duranski (7/0), Veceski (6/0), Blazevski (3/0), and Demir (2/0) are out of the squad.

After the Cup elimination and last round league defeat against Gostivar, the current champions Struga is in a must win situation and will do that without any problem.

Amsterdamsche will play against Zwolle in the KNVB Cup. They are part of Tweede Divisie (3rd league) and currently are in really bad form with only 1 win in the last 6 games. Due to injuries Markiet (8/0), Eliasar (5/0), and van Weerdenburg (2/0) are out, while Maatsen (7/0) is doubtful. There is a big difference in quality, so even with some rotations, Zwolle\'s shouldn\'t be in question.

Kukesi suffered drastic changes in the transfer period and has the youngest team in the league. After the poor start of the season, they entered in good form with only 1 defeat in the last 6 rounds, but away from home, they are the second worst team with 1-1-3 record. Coach Stavri Nica has some serious problems with absence and can\'t count on Reci (8/1), Momoh (5/0), Sahitaj (3/0), Veriu (1/0), and Domi (1/0), while M\'bark El Id (9/1), Hasaj (6/1) is doubtful. Egnatia is the biggest surprise. Together with Partizani, they are leading the table with 20 points and are the most inform team with 6-2-1 record in the last 9 rounds. In the last match against Skenderbeu, they received a goal in 90+13 minute for a final 1-1. Today, the best player and top scorer of the league Ghanaian striker Dwamena (8/9) and key midfielder Zejnullai (9/2) are back from suspensions. Egnatia is the team that has caused the biggest defeat to Kukesi this season, after beating them 0-4 in the 2nd round, and I think that will continue the title race.

Coach of Chindia, Vasile Miriuta said:„ I will change 80 percent of the starting lineup, because we can\'t play three games in a week“. On Saturday, they have a hard away match against Viitorul Tg. Jiu, while the Cup is not their priority. In the first Cup round, they lost to Hunedoara, playing with many reserves. Petrolul is playing in superb form, with only 2 defeats after 14 rounds in the first league. They are undefeated in the last 6 games and in the first Cup round, they won away to Progresul Pecica. I think that there is a class difference and Petrolul should take an easy win.

Mansfield continued the progress and equaled a club record of 20 unbeaten games (counting last season results), which is an absolutely magnificent achievement. They fairly won 2-1 at home against Walsall in League Two, while in the previous round of the EFL Cup, they eliminated Peterborough on penalties (2-2 regular time). Port Vale continued to „sink“, winless in the last 7 games. Today, coach Crosby can\'t count on Chislett (12/1), Wilson (10/2), Clark (10/0), Grant (9/0), Balmer (8/0), Harrison (1/0), while Garrity (14/4), Iacovitti (10/1), and Lowe (8/0) are doubtful. Mansfield have been on a dream run since the start of the year and are on a 20 official game unbeaten run and are on a tremendous momentum.

After 6 league defeats in a row, Eupen finally took the win against Charleroi in the last round. In the Cup, they can produce some nice results like in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons, where they were eliminated in the 1/2 finals. Coach Kohfeldt selects the best possible lineup and the only absences are Charles-Cook (10/2 out in the last two games), Lambert (7/0 long term injury), Alloh (6/0 long term injury), and Nurudeen (2/0 second goalkeeper).

Oostende is leading a relegation fight in the Belgium second league with a 1-5-4 record after 10 rounds. It\'s obvious that the Cup is not their priority because D\'Haese (10/1), Laes (10/0), Atanga (8/1), Henderson (7/1), Amade (3/0), Albanese (2/0), Rodin (2/0), and Musayev (1/0) are out of the squad. Coach Vreven announced rotations because on Friday, they have a hard away league match against 1st placed Waregem.

All in all, Eupen must use the lack of interest in the guest team and qualify to the 1/8 finals.

Cerrado was absolutely the worst team last season with a 5-27 record and a 1-15 away score. Only two rotation players from last season stayed in the team while the starting lineup left:

Ruan (15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists)
McLemore (12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists)
Sheard (12.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists)
Harris (11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists)
Paulo (8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists)

This season, they are the youngest team in the NBB league with 7 players under 22 years and opened the season with two home defeats by Corinthians Paulista 58-67 and Pinheiros 62-69. Cerrado begins a long trip around the country, with its first game away from home. The first 1,650 km take them to Ginásio do Sesi de Pato Branco, in Paraná, where the Candanga team faces Pato Basquete.

Pato won one of the three games when going to Rio de Janeiro. Between the defeats to Flamengo and Vasco, Pato surpassed Botafogo. This will be their debut at home, where can be a tough nut to crack. Last season, they took full of points, winning 98-91 at home and 109-110 in Asa Sul.

Botosani lost 5-2 away to Sepsi in the last and continued the big downfall winless in the opening 13 rounds (0-6-7), counting 4 defeats in a row (with a 1-3 Cup defeat by Rapid Bucuresti). Coach Dan Alexa resigned after the end of the match, however he continued on the bench because the owner Valeriu Iftime refused to resign. Nothing is working in the club and a scandal haunts them. Defender Junior Pius (11/0) and winger Jean Drole (6/1) are suspended by the club, due to illegal betting, as Junior Pius admitted to intentionally getting a yellow card in the match against FCSB, while the latter was an accomplice. As for the other absences Zabou (10/0), Mouaddib (5/0), and N\'Goma (5/0) are doubtful.

Universitatea Cluj is a well balanced and compact team. In the previous 3 rounds, they had difficult matches, but did well, after a draw with leaders FCSB, a home win against Sepsi and another away draw against last year\'s champions Farul Constanta This season they played well in away games, without a single defeat. In 7 games, they have 2 wins and 5 draws, which places them in 2nd place among the best away teams. Due to injuries Vătăjelu (12/0), Popadiuc (8/0), Masoero (5/0), and Calcan (4/0) are out of the squad, where only Masoero was part of the team for 45 minutes in the last round.

In Botosani, the atmosphere is bad. Coach Dan Alexa already resigned after the defeat by Sepsi, while two players were suspended due to illegal betting. Universitatea Cluj is a tough team, with just one defeat in their last eight official games, so I think that they will give their best to use the problems in Botosani. 

On Thursday, Besiktas suffered a 3-1 defeat in Norway by Bodo/Glimt in the Conference league and qualification to the next stage is starting to become difficult. There were a lot of complaints from the fans after the final whistle, who had a few minutes\' conversation with the coach Burak Yilmaz. They want a reaction, especially after the 2-1 defeat by Galatasaray in the city derby, where again they made \"childish\" mistakes, even playing with 10 players from very early on. Today, have many key absences like first goalkeeper Günok (7/0 suspended), defenders Rosier (9/0), Colley (8/2), Masuaku (7/0), Amartey (5/0), Bingöl (2/0), and top scorer Aboubakar (9/4). Gaziantep completely changed its mentality under the new coach Romanian Marius Sumudica, and achieved 3 victories and 1 defeat in the last 4 rounds, while in terms of absences Ajeti (3/1) and Khacef (3/0) are out of the team.

Gaziantep will go on a \"stealth war\" tactic In Istanbul, where it traditionally has \"nightmares\", having 7 defeats in a row. Besiktas is under huge pressure to stop the negative streak, but problems in the defensive line are significant, and I think that Gaziantep can take advantage of it.

Cibona is facing their fifth away game in the last six games. Jakša Vulić players will face the undefeated Split, who has 5/5 in the Croatian championship. This will be a difficult game for Cibona, because they are still playing without five players from the first team. In the past few days, Juraj Golemac had problems with a virus, so his appearance in this match is questionable. Visiting Split is never an easy game, especially in the current situation where Cibona is full of big problems and I think that the home side, who is led by Slaven Rimac, will grab a comfortable double digit win.

This summer Guangdong has undergone huge personal changes. One of their best players Yi Jianlian (10.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1 assist and ex-NBA player) announced his retirement, Zhao Rui (11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists) joined Xinjiang, while Zhou Qi joined again, but he is unavailable due to injury, together with Ren Junfei, which means both starting lineup players are out. Liaoning will miss Guo Ailun and Zhao Jiwei due to injuries. The guard Guo Ailun has been out from the start of the season, while Zhao Jiwei played only 28 minutes in the first two rounds, and didn\'t contribute at all in their victories.

Liaoning has a clear advantage in the interior, with powerful players such as Han Dejun, Li Xiaoxu, and Fu Hao. These players not only have excellent performance on both offense and defense but also have rich game experience. Their presence provides the Liaoning team with solid inside support and also poses a threat to the opponent\'s inside line. In contrast, Guangdong\'s internal strength is relatively weak. They mainly rely on some young players, such as Zhang Mingchi and Xu Xin, to deal with the pressure on the opponent\'s inside. Although these young players have potential, they may feel double the pressure when facing Liaoning\'s strong players. In addition, the Liaoning team also has a big foreign aid Eric Moreland whose presence further enhances the inside strength and provides more opportunities for the Liaoning team to win the game.

All in all, this is a derby of the 4th round, where both teams entered with a perfect score, but I give a slight advantage to the home side, who also has a good home tradition, winning 6 from their last 7 matches in Shenyang.

According to the official Twitter profile of GKS Jastrzebie, yesterday the team was plagued by an intestinal flu virus, as a result of which ten players were unable to play. These are enormous problems for coach Piotr Dziewicki who will also have three players suspended – Zych (12/0), Przemysław (11/0), and Vaz (9/1). Pogon Siedlce has only 1 defeat in the last 10 league rounds. They entered in top form with 4 wins in a row and this is an ideal chance to catch the leading place on the standings.

With their heads bowed, Norrkoping players left Hacken, after the embarrassing 4-1 defeat. Thus, they are in the 8th position of the standings and simply wait patiently for the end of the season, without any danger of relegation. They have only one win in the last seven rounds (1-1-5) and some fringe players will be given a chance in the last 3 rounds. Due to injuries Khazeni (18/1), Ortmark (16/0), Roback (3/0), and Sernelius (1/0) are out of the team. Malmo is leading an uncertain title race with Elfsborg. They have -2 points from the top of the standings and this is simply a must win match for them in order to keep their dream for the title.

Dessauer will be visiting Bundesliga relegated Minden with enormous problems. They are in really bad form with only 1 draw in the last 5 rounds, and today key players Max Emanuel, Patrick Gempp, Carl-Phillip Haake, Tillman Leu, and Oskar Emanuel are out of the squad. An additional problem will be the absence of their coach Uwe Jungandreas due to the virus. Minden is a potential top favorite for promotion. They are currently in tenth place in the table and after the bad start of the season, they found the right form with only 1 defeat in the last 5 rounds. This is an ideal chance to take advantage of these problems in Dessauer and grab a comfortable win.

Hassania Agadir is in a difficult financial situation. The players boycotted the last 9 training seasons to protest against the non payment of their salaries. Due to the continuation of the strike, coach Sektioui decided to use the services of the players from the youth team, to play the seventh round match against Renaissance Zemamra. He was forced to call 18 players from the youth team, because if the first team didn\'t appear in the match, the federation would impose drastic punishment. Coach Sektioui excluded all the first team players, after they insisted on continuing the strike for the ninth day in a row. In the last 5 rounds, they won only 1 point, and this is a huge chance for Renaissance Zemamra to grab the first away win after three difficult matches against Wydad, FAR Rabat and Union Touarga.

Schott Mainz is one of the worst teams in Regionalliga Sudwest with a 1-3-10 record, having the second worst defense in the league. They are in deep relegation problems with -11 points from the safe zone, and today have key absences like Hansen (11/0 first goalkeeper), Nils Fischer (10/3), Portmann (10/1), and Roden (8/0). Fulda-Lehnerz is the second best home team with a 5-1-1 record and this is a chance to get back on the winning road after a hard 4-0 defeat by Hoffenheim II in the last round.

After a great 1:2 victory away to Aue, Ulm climbed to the 3rd place. They were behind in the score after only 50 seconds, but returned to winning ways and scored their third victory in her last four matches. At home, they are only hard nut to crack with a 4-1-1 record and today’s only long term absence is Stoll (3/0). Hallescher took the lead in the home match against Regensburg, but still didn’t avoid a defeat (1-2). They remained without a win for the sixth game and now its distance from the safe zone is four points. Due to injuries Landgraf (7/0), Ajani (2/0), and Kreuzer (1/0) are out of the squad. Ulm is on a promotion course so far. They welcome a deformed and completely “lost” Hallescher and have an opportunity to continue the positive course.

The defeat by Diagoras in Rhodes with 3-1 was a sin that became a lesson and with the required attention and seriousness, PAE Chania went through fire and iron from Kalamata, as they prevailed with 0-2 against the black storm and obliged them to their first defeat in the championship. Thus they managed to get the precious three points, which is the third in four games, which brought them to the 2nd place in the standings, just one point behind Kallithea. This victory was achieved without 8 players, which is a great result. Today, the only absences are Bourselis (1/0) and Mathaus (1/0). I already wrote chaotic situation in Panachaiki. The team is going from bad to worse and can’t lift their heads. They have only 1 point in the opening draw against Athens Kallithea (with enormous luck), while after the last round defeat against PAE Egaleo, coach Stefanos Franciosa, and technical director Valantis Bletsas, left the team. Due to injuries Zekhov (3/0), Masouras (3/0), and Mulder (2/0) are unavailable.

The difference in quality between the two teams is big and the match depends only on PAE Chania. If the Cretans catch up to their performance and don’t underestimate Panachaiki, the score can take on big dimensions.

Atromitos remained winless in the Super League (0-3-5). In the last round, they were defeated in Toumba by PAOK (2-0), completing 3 matches without scoring a goal. The board members sacked Korakakis, and the coach is Sasa Ilic (former coach of CSKA Sofia). The Serbian was announced with a contract until the end of the season and will make his debut against Panaitolikos. For me, he is a really good coach, and expect to raise the self confidence in Atromitos and enter into a series of good results.

Panetolikos achieved the first victory in the season, and first with coach Petrakis on the bench. Traditionally, they are one of the worst away teams in the league, and this season have only 1 point after 4 rounds (0-1-3). Due to injuries Shengelia (8/0), Karelis (6/0), Tsingaras (4/0), Bouzoukis (2/0), Bakakis (1/0), and Nikolaou (1/0) are out of the team.

Atromitos is always good at Peristeri Stadium and this season has two draws. This is the right moment for their new coach to achieve their first victory.

Rizespor wasn’t convinced with their performance away to Kayserispor and rightly suffered a 3-1 defeat. That was their second defeat in the last three matches, and the important thing is that they are still in the top ten of the standings, although at the beginning of the season, many thought that they would be one of the teams that would fight for survival. At home, they are undefeated with a 2-2-0 record, but every team against Fenerbahce or Galatasaray will have serious problems to grab a positive result. They don’t have a good tradition against the champion Galatasaray. losing the last two home matches by 2:3 and 2:4. Due to injuries Pinchi (4/0) and Diouf (3/0) are out.

At some point, the first defeat would come for Galatasaray. In midweek they hosted Bayern Munich in the Champions League and were beaten 1-3, despite being competitive for around 75 minutes. In the league, they have an 8-1-0 record and is firmly behind Fenerbahce.

Rizespor is high by their standards and it’s an achievement that they have kept their home ground unbeaten so far. But all good things come to an end at some point and Galatasaray wants to put behind the defeat by Bayern and once again add pressure to Fenerbahce in the battle for the title.

Halle-Neustadt is heavily depleted for their trip to Bad Langensalza. Coach Till Wiechers can’t count on Madeleine Östlund, Alexandra Lundström, and Helena Mikkelsen. As always when it comes to the Thüringer, the pressure is on the hosts to win the match. This year is likely to be significantly higher than in recent years. After just five rounds, the Thuringians already have four minus points in their account. A win is therefore mandatory in order not to give up the season’s goal early on. Coach Herbert Müller can rely on his entire squad.

CSM Focșani is the leader of the ranking and the main promotion favorite from Seria 2. After 8 wins in a row, they were surprised by Hamangia Baia in the new football stadium built in Tulcea County. The team is composed of many quality players with experience from the 1st and 2nd Romanian league and the mayor of Focșani said if this year doesn\'t get promotion in the second league the team will be destroyed because a lot of money are invested.

CSM Ramnicu Sarat is a shadow of the team from last season. The club is in total chaos, where the players don\'t train on a daily basis, like their captain, who is going only to play games. The goalkeeper is a kid who is prone to silly mistakes and they lost many important players from last season. Due to injury key defender Marius Ionita is out of the team. In the opening 9 rounds, they have a 2-1-6 record with the second worst defense after bottom club Sutesti.

After the shocking result in the last round, this is an ideal chance for CSM Focsani to grab a comfortable victory and keep the race for promotion.

Şanlıurfaspor started the season very well but struggled a lot recently, winless in the last 7 rounds. They changed the coach two rounds ago, but the results didn\'t change. Today\'s only absence is Uruguayan striker Ardaiz (4/1). Giresunspor are the weakest team in the league, winless in the last 7 matches (0-2-5). They have a transfer ban and huge financial problems, while the squad is composed of poor quality players. Today, their best defenders Kadir Seven (8/0) and left-back Faruk Can Genc (8/1) are suspended. They simply don\'t have any back-up for these players so young players have to start. I think that Şanlıurfaspor can\'t imagine a better opponent to come back to winning ways and will be highly motivated to win the match.

After a big away victory against Palmeiras, Atletico-MG “destroys” everything in front of their fully packed (new) stadium MRV Arena against hated compatriot Cruzeiro. After the home defeat against the penultimate Coritiba, they disappointed their fans with another defeat (0-1). Their performance was really bad and faced many problems in the defensive area. Coach Scolari has serious problems for this match, because he can’t count on Battaglia (22/0), Lemos (20/1 suspended), Edenilson (20/0), Zaracho (19/1 suspended), Mariano (19/0), Vargas (12/1) and Kardec (12/1). Bragantino continued its championship run, extending its undefeated streak to 8 games (6-2-0). Fluminense was the latest “victim” on Sunday, after a 1-0 win. They are -7 points from 1st placed Botafogo RJ, and every point in the last 10 rounds is extremely important. Due to suspension Fernandes (26/1) is unavailable, while Mendes (13/1) is injured. The last home defeat of Bragantino was 6 months ago, and I think that they are in superb rhythm and must use the key absences in Atletico-MG.

After much deliberation, the UBI Graz delegation begins the 3-day journey to the WABA league game against Partizan 1953 Belgrade. The reason for the concern is the countless failures that have to be compensated for in this game. Only 5 players from the regular team will travel to Serbia to play against the Belgrade team. The head coach Tanja Kuzmanovic, at the press conference, said: “Unfortunately, we have to travel to Belgrade very understaffed, luck is not on our side at the moment. This is a match to gain a new experience for our youth players. Playing against Partizan is certainly unique in terms of the atmosphere. Even though we can only play with half the squad in Belgrade“. This is a huge chance for Partizan to grab the 3 win and move on 3rd place on the standings in the race for a playoff spot.

The Greek champion and famous club Olympiacos Piraeus is heading to Ružomberok in the 3rd round of Eurocup. Ruzomberok has appeared in the Eurocup twice this year, and failed against TTT Riga (81:56), and Turkish club Bellona Kayseri at home (63:87). Coach Juraj Suja has serious problems with absences and can’t count on injured Alexandra Buknova (12.3 points, 4 rebounds, 5.3 assists), Dominika Urbanova (7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists), while Maria Stefancova (5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists) is doubtful. This significantly limits the already limited possibilities of the team, which would like to torment the Greek favorite.

Olympiacos as a basketball club was founded in 1947. It won seven Greek league championships, won five cups and was undefeated from the start of the 2015/16 season (until the 2020/21 season), setting a world record – 137 consecutive wins (in all domestic meetings). It’s a team that is mainly composed of domestic players, with the exception of three foreigners – an American, a basketball player from Chile, Sweden and Latvia.

I think that the Greek champions is a class about Slovakian girls and should easily cover this line.

Minyor released one of its foreigners Chek Kebe due to unprofessional behavior after the last match against CSKA Sofia. Coach Mladenov said:„ We can’t stay in this lineup. First, we have a very short rotation, second, we don’t have the height and strength we need. There are matches where we have to come together with higher teams. One of them is the team of Chernomorets“. They lost the opening two rounds against Rilski Sportist (95-49) and Spartak Pleven (92-57), but unexpectedly won against CSKA Sofia. Chernomorets has a really strong team this year. They showed that in the opening rounds with three wins against Rilski Sportist (74-65), Spartak Pleven (75-78) and Beroe (74-86). The team is composed of 5 quality foreigners and I think that will easily smash the newly promoted Minyor.

On Friday, Ballkani welcomed the penultimate Liria in the championship with a mixed lineup and after the laziness in the 1st half (0-1 from 15 minute), the champions woke up and comfortably reached a 4-1 victory. They remain at the top, with +2 points from second placed Drita. In the 2nd round of the Conference League group, they wrote history, after a 2-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb. With the first points in the group, climbed to 2nd place and dreams for the knockout stage are still alive.

In the penultimate round of the Kazakhstan championship, Astana won against Zhetysu Taldykorgan, but will not be able to take the championship, which mathematically went to Ordabasy, because there is only one round until the end of the championship. This was just the third title loss since 2014. Their European road next summer will be difficult, because they will start (again) early, but from the Conference League, without having the right to make a mistake. In the last match, coach Babayan lined up many substitutes, as he reported to the press that he had players with a virus, as well as injured players. In the Conference League group, they suffered defeats by Plzen (1-2) and Dinamo Zagreb (5-1) and for sure will have a lot of problems against highly motivated Ballkani.

Ballkani rises quickly. This is their 2nd season in European group stage and has already reached 24 European matches (13-2-9). They have a high potential and expect to take another important victory.

The Dolphins had a long journey into the night before arriving at the hotel in Manisa and it was time to prepare on site for the night’s match against the home favorites Manisa. They will be without top scorer Marcus Tyus (15.3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) due to his ligament damage in his right knee. In the first round in Group E, Manisa defeated the Danish Bakken Bears 76-82 in a match that was not decided until the final seconds. There are many quality players to keep an eye on, and some who get a lot of confidence from coach Ahmet Kandemir are guards Daron Russell and Pako Cruz, shooting guard James Anderson and power forward Emanuel Terry and center Ryan Luther. Norrkoping lost the first round match at home against Porto (71-79).

Landes had travel chaos for the upcoming match against Gyor in Hungary. They left Mont de Marsan at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, and learned upon arriving in Toulouse (by minibus) that their flight to Paris was 1 hour 15 minutes late. In order not to waste too much time during the plane transfer to Roissy, Anais Le Gluher (team manager of Landes) decided to bring forward the lunch meal to 10:30 a.m. After a flight of around an hour, the Landes landed at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport and had a little over an hour to reach their connection to Vienna (Austria). This second plane took off 45 minutes after the initially scheduled time since a technical failure was detected beforehand (fortunately given the turbulence encountered once in the air). Finally, they reached Gyor and after driving for about an hour and fifteen minutes by (small) bus. An additional problem will be the absence of the leader and top scorer Alexis Peterson (14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists) who stayed in France. Both teams are winless in the opening 3 rounds, but this is a chance for UNI Gyor to celebrate the first win.

There is no time to breathe at ASVEL Féminin who, after their trip to Montpellier, will host the Zaragoza team tonight. Three days after losing against Lattes Montpellier, they will have a harder task against the Spanish team, due to enormous problems with injuries. Coach David Gautier has only six professional players, because against Montpellier, Alexia Chery and Laura Quevedo got injuries, while Marine Johannès, Juste Jocyte and Gabby Williams were on the injury list. Coach Gautier said: „We know that the chances of winning against Zaragoza are really slim“. After the two close defeats by Fenerbahce (71-74) and DVTK (66-63), this is an ideal chance for Zaragoza to get back on the winning path and keep their hope for first 4 places.

On Sunday they welcomed Juventus (with starters) in the most interesting match of Serie A and despite being the favorite, everything went wrong and lost by 0:1. Coach Stefano Pioli has serious problems with absences and can’t count on Okafor (8/2), Loftus-Cheek (7/1), Chukwueze (7/0), Romero (2/0), Sportiello (2/0), Pellegrino, and Bennacer, while on Sunday, they travel to Napoli to face the current champions. Luis Enrique finally found the last pieces of the puzzle in PSG. They took two comfortable wins in a row, scoring 6 goals and this is a chance to make a big step to the knockout stage.

Ferro is a mediocre team that always tries to enter the playoffs but rarely does that. Last season they finished 15th with a 16-22 record and many players including 3 from the starting lineup players left the team:

top scorer Jeremiah Wood (13 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2 assists)
best assistant Juan Laterza (8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists)
Lucas Gargallo (6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists)

This season the squad is composed of domestic players with a 41 year old veteran center Damian Tintorelli as one of the best players (is playing around 20 minutes per match). After 3 defeats in a row, finally won against Obera TC, who is a different team away from home.

Gimnasia won it in the Bombonerita and took away Boca\'s undefeated record, after a dramatic 82-83 win. The Patagonian team built a victory against a great rival despite fatigue after their participation in the South American League, where they entered in the playoffs. Despite the domestic players, they have three Americans - Nazione, Webster, De Vaughn who are the main players and always make the difference. They are in a series of 3 victories in a row, or 5 wins in the last 6 games, while in their mutual match have a 5 winning streak.

The only thing that is against Gimnasia is a hard schedule because it\'s 4th game in the last 6 days, but I believe that have enough energy and quality in their ranks to continue the great form.

The Titanes de Barranquilla took the lead in Group C by adding their second victory against the worst team in the group Soldiers TBT (97-63), where the starting 5 were completely rested in the 2nd half after a +19 lead at HT. They are the home team in this group, because the tournament is played at the Elías Chegwin Sports Coliseum in Barranquilla. The Colombian team is led by Puerto Rico shooting guard Jonathan Rodriguez who is alfa and omega in this team.

Caribbean Storm defeated Biguá in the last round by 79-76, but the final result doesn\'t reflect the true picture of the match. The Colombian team dominated the vast majority of the match and after a 68-53 advantage, rotated the team.

Titanes de Barranquilla won against Caribbean Storm by +11 difference (+19 in the 4th quarter) and I think that the line is missed by a couple of points.

Snezhnye Barsy is a base club of the Kazakhstan national U18-U20 team. They continue their series of away games with a match against Belye Medvedi, after horrible defeats by Stalnye Lisy 9-0, Irbis 6-3, Chaika 7-0, and have the worst goal difference in the Eastern Silver Conference, conceding 81 goals in 20 matches. An additional problem today is the absence of main defenders, which is a huge blow. The team from Chelyabinsk takes 4th place in the standings in the Eastern Golden Conference. Marat Askarov\'s team has 20 points in 14 matches and stopped the winning series of 3 matches, after a lost round defeat by Loko-76. This is a big chance for the home side to get back on the winning round and score a comfortable victory against the Kazakh youth team.

Jong PSV is heavily depleted for the upcoming derby match against city rivals Eindhoven. Due to the Youth Champions League match tomorrow against Lens U19 in France - Abed (8/2), van Duiven (7/4 top scorer), Land (7/2), van de Blaak (7/0), Schiks (6/0 first goalkeeper), Tytens (5/0), and Rovers (3/0) are selected in U19 team. In the senior team is transferred Bars (6/1), while due to suspension Jimenez (7/0) is not available. The scheduled away match against Jong Utrecht was postponed due to the unsuitability of the pitch following heavy rain. A new date has not yet been set. In the most recent game, they were defeated by Maastricht 2-3 and have only 1 victory in the last 5 league matches. This year\'s unbeaten streak of Eindhoven has come to a bitter end. They were beaten 1-2 at home by Helmond in the local derby and remained at 17 points. This was also the first time this year that they conceded two goals in one match. Due to injury, Sleegers (5/0) is out of the squad. Eindhoven wants to immediately return to success and rehabilitate after the first defeat of the season. Jong PSV will line up with several key absences and will have a difficult task to take some points.

OKMK lost 1-2 at home to Al Quwa Al Jawiya, and the realistic hopes for the 2nd place were dashed, having 0 points in the last place. Coach Jalal Kasimov has serious problems because can\'t count on players Haghnazari (20/3), Gadoev (18/3), and Tukhtakhujaev (8/1). This is crucial for Sepahan, after a 2:2 draw away to Al Quwa Al Jawiya in the opening round. The previous match against Al Ittihad was not played, because they had a statue of their Iranian general Qasem Soleimani at the stadium, but the match will be played on a new date. They had no obligations in the Iranian league in order not to be burdened, and the main players were in the starting lineup.

Kalamata played an impressive football at the start of the season. They deserved the leading place on the standings with a 100% record and a 10:2 goal difference. In the Cup, they were eliminated by strong Athens Kallithea after penalties, but the promotion to the Super League is their main priority. The team is composed of many experienced foreigners (11) like Argentinian striker Jeronimo Barrales, who was part of the Super League teams for many years, and together with Mexican Carlos Acosta, they are second scorers in the league. PAE Chania opened the season with two victories, but in recent weeks has had many problems with injuries, which was visible in the last away defeat against Diagoras, where they conceded three goals for 30 minutes. Due to injuries Vouho (3/1), Kaloudis (3/1), Czornomaz (3/0), Mathaus (1/0), Pachis, Vorfi, Koukourakis, and Panagiotou are out of the squad. I think that Kalamata is a better team at the moment and with these absences, Chania will have a really hard task to make a positive result.

There are rumors here that Igman will lose the match and \"return\" the points to Sarajevo because last season Sarajevo gave them 3 points in the last round to secure survival.

https://www.rezultati.com/utakmica/Cj2IxEf3/?fbclid=IwAR2wCxyEY0-zJnc7clRqimc1h65eJ5Ts9VKNXe9pgLPelGjvQIUCACNQeo4#/detalji/detalji

However, I don\'t pay too much attention to these rumors. Simply here the guests are a class above the home side. Igman is currently in a very bad situation because in the last 7 matches, they have been defeated 6 times, all 6 in the league, and one victory in the Cup (against 2nd league team TOSK Tesanj). Sarajevo last round brought a good point from Banja Luka against Borac (1:1) and against a team like Igman they must win and stay close to the first placed Borac Banja Luka, who is playing a derby match against 2nd placed Zrinjski.

These odds are CRAZY. I already wrote about the enormous financial problems in Vardar, and the situation is out of control. The sports director left the team to be a coach in the 2nd League of Saudi Arabia, and player\'s salaries were delayed. That\'s why the Andorian defender Albert Alavedra (2/0) left the team during the national team break, and the loyal fan group that rules the club now makes some donations event before a week to receive some money. That\'s really sad what\'s going on with my club since childhood, but the reality is that they will be relegated again in the 2nd league. Until now, they have only 5 points after 9 rounds, with only 1 victory.

Rabotnicki is a stable team that received a big financial injection in the past week. The club was sold to the Turkish construction company Cevahir for 600.000 euros. The company announced big investments already in the winter transfer period, in order to secure a European ticket. The team is composed of experienced players like former national team players Velkoski, Belica, Adem, and many foreigners who have international carriers.

I think that the odds are that high because there is no home advantage for Rabotnicki (both teams played at Boris Trajkovski Stadium), but I don\'t think that Vardar has any chance of getting a positive result.

Both teams are newly promoted teams, but soon will move in completely different directions. Gostivar has a strong Turkish sponsor behind them, who invested a lot of money. The squad is well balanced with some quality reinforcements like Alhassan (ex-Keciorengucu player), Alper Potuk, a player who has 17 caps for the Turkish national team, and a former Fenerbahce player, Ivorian striker Goba Zakpa (ex Rio Ave and Gil Vicente player), Burundi player Yannick Nkurunziza (ex Antalyaspor player), Iyayi Atiemwen (former Dinamo Zagreb striker) and many others. More than 17 players were added to the team, and it was normal to need some time to know each other. In the last 3 rounds, they took two away victories against Vardar and strong Brera Strumica, while won a point against title contender Shkendija. Voska Sport is a classical home team and away from home won only 1 point after 4 matches. I think that Gostivar is a better team and finally, they put the pieces of the puzzle together.

KFUM Oslo took the fifth win in a row, this time at home against a fighting Bryne 1-0. The 1,237 fans in the stands had to wait until the 88th minute to see Jones El Abdellaoui score the only goal of the match with a header. Thus, they remained in the 2nd privileged position, and saw the 3rd Kongsvinger 4 points further back, having of course one match less. Coach Moesgaard, was named coach of the month for September, while Akinshola Akinyemi was named player of the month. Raufoss lost the ground in the battle for entry into the top six, after being forced to a goalless draw at home by Mjondalen. After yesterday\'s results, they remained in 10th place, 8 points from the 6th playoff position, which I think is hard to achieve. KFUM Oslo is a super strong home side with a 9-2-2 record and will be extremely motivated to get back on 7 points difference from the 3rd place on 3 rounds until the end of the regular season.

Reggiana opened the season with a really poor performance, having only 1 win after 9 rounds. Coach Alessandro Nesta has serious problems with key absences and can\'t count on defenders Romagna (7/0), Sampirisi (6/0), midfielders Bianco (9/0 suspended), Kabashi (8/0 suspended), Vergara (5/0), strikers Pettinari (8/2) and Vido (2/1). Venezia has a quality roster and the expectations of promotion are justified by their good performance, having only 1 defeat until now (5-3-1). They have only two absences Idzes (9/0) and Joronen (8/0), while important defender Šverko (7/0) is back in the team.

Reggiana is struggling and with these key absences will have a hard task to win the match.

AEL Limassol suffered the third consecutive defeat in the championship, this time by Achnas away (1-0). They played with many absences, but the board members decided to release Christos Charalampous from the technical leadership. The young coach said goodbye after 6 months and in the last 5, he had not managed to lead the Limassol club to victory (0-1-4). They are already at -6 from the 6th place and new coach Tony Koskela is in must win situation in his debut. The Finnish is a former coach of Helsinki. His CV is very good with 3 championships and 2 European group stage appearances. Today, he can count on key players Tsouka (6/0), Henty (5/2), Mendoza (5/0), and Dewaest (4/0), while the only absences are Morsay (7/2) and Filipovic (4/0). Othellos Athienou is a newly promoted team, that is still looking for its first league win. They suffered the 4th defeat this year against APOEL (0-1) before the break and today main midfielder Christodoulou (7/1) is unavailable. AEL Limassol is superior in terms of quality and this is the right opponent to enter in a winning streak with their new Finish coach.

PAOK B is back in action against Aeolikos at the Makedonikos stadium for the 5th round of Super League 2. They played all three of his first matches at home, with the last one against AEK B, winning by 1-0. Now will do the 4x4 at home and hopes to continue the good performances and victories. They have many quality prospects in their ranks and the only absences are Gordeziani (2/2) and Smyrlis (2/0).

Newly promoted Aiolikos open their 2nd league adventure with a 1-2 win against direct relegation rival Kozani with a goal in the 94th minute, but the climate for coach Apostolos Charalambidis is really heavy. They won only 1 point in the last 3 rounds (0-1-2) and problems with many injuries created a big blow in the team. Due to injuries or suspensions absent from today\'s match are Manousos (4/1), Triantafyllou (3/0), Oungialidis (3/0), Ungialidis (3/0), Kechagias (2/0), Krimitzas (1/0), Aliatidis, Galeadis, Botsaris, and Tziassi.

PAOK B has great offensive power to use the problems in Aiolikos and score another victory.

Wiedenbrück travels to the U23 team of FC Köln with key absences. Due to injuries or suspensions Szeleschus (10/1), Kaptan (9/0), Tuma (8/1), and Aboagye (8/0) are unavailable. They stopped the winless series of 6 matches (0-2-4), after a 1-0 home win against Rodinghausen with a goal in the 93rd minute, but are still close to the relegation zone with only 2 points advantage.

They will have an extremely intense match at Franz Kremers Stadium in which the main thing will be to control the long chip balls and the speed of Cologne\'s offensive players, especially the control of the fast Cologne top players Justin Diehl and Florian Dietz. An additional advantage for the home side will be the support from the first team with good players like Damion Downs, which will boost their offensive potential. Koln II has only one defeat in the last 9 matches (5-3-1) and is capable of getting a comfortable win against weakened Wiedenbruck.

Gijon Basket had requested to postpone the rivalry match due to the significant number of casualties it had accumulated. They will massacred with absences for the local derby against Circulo Gijon. Due to injuries and viruses in the last couple of days, out of the squad are Marichevski, Cuetos, Baba Fall, Halans, Torres, Michu, and Jimenez. They have only 4 senior team players healthy and the rotation will be completed with youths from the academy. Their arch city rival Circulo Gijon doesn\'t want to postpone the match and the director of the home side said: „They talk a lot for the strength of the youth academy, let them play with juniors today“. It\'s obvious that the home side wants to destroy Gijon Basket and will do their best to do that.

Middlesbrough made full use of their numerical advantage in the north-east English derby against Sunderland away from home and won a commanding 0-4 at Stadium of Light, celebrating their fourth consecutive victory. It was the first time after 18 consecutive matches, they didn\'t concede an away goal and clearly got the upper hand and looked a lot like last year\'s team. Due to injuries McGree (10/3) and O\'Brien (5/0) are out of the team.

Birmingham changed the coach during the national team break. Coach Eustace was sacked, despite the in-form team sitting in sixth place and the bench was taken over by Rooney who had a good spell on the Derby bench before moving to MLS. In Eustace\'s last game, they emerged victorious from the West Midlands derby, beating West Brom 3-1 at home, and remained unbeaten for the sixth consecutive match at home. Away from St. Andrew\'s Stadium, they had 3 defeats in a row and today Anderson (8/0), Buchanan (7/0), Laird (3/0), Hall (1/0), and Roberts (1/0) are not available.

Before the break, Middlesbrough started to look a lot like last year\'s team. They can continue the amazing run, as Birmingham will appear confused after the sudden and unprovoked departure of Eustace. In their last three mutual matches, Middlesbrough took the win.

Celta Vigo played Getafe at home and drew 2-2, remaining winless for the fifth consecutive match (0-2-3). From the 30th minute, they played with one more player, due to the expulsion of the visiting team, but in the second half, they didn\'t find the goal that would give them the victory, as they couldn\'t beat the opposing goalkeeper. \" It\'s a shame, the problem of players going to their national teams and coming back injured has been constant for years and very difficult to avoid if they continue to play a lot of games in a short period of time,\" said coach Benitez, as he lost important players due injuries like Aidoo (6/0), Ristić (4/0) and Carles Perez (3/0). Before the national team break, Atlético Madrid was in good form, with five consecutive wins in all competitions. Real Sociedad were their latest victim, narrowly beating them 2-1 at home. Coach Simeone can count on Correa (5/3), Barrios (4/0), and Söyüncü (2/0) who are back after injuries.

Celta have lost important matches against equal opponents, so I don\'t trust them against Atletico Madrid, who have substance in their game. In the last 9 mutual matches, the guests from Madrid have 6 wins and 3 draws.

Grenoble appeared competitive in the 2-2 away draw with Guingamp. They had a good offensive function for the longest time, created many dangerous moments, but faced serious defensive problems. In general, they played against an excellent team, and the draw was a good result. Coach Vincent Onon is doing a phenomenal job, because they are the only undefeated team in the league 5-5-0 and today the only absence is midfielder Touray (7/0). Valenciennes is winless in the last 6 rounds (0-3-3) and many key absences. Due to suspensions and injuries central defender Buatu (10/1), right back Linguet (10/0), Cuffaut (6/0), and midfielder Masson (9/0) are out of the squad. Grenoble is showing excellent figures at the start of this season and has a superior quality. In their mutual matches at Stade des Alpes, they had three wins in a row, and expect to continue the good run.

I already wrote about Beroe\'s problems at the start of the season. The club changed owners and Argentinian Hernan Benaton, arrived, who leads a policy that no one likes. The team is composed of poor players from South America (13), who have not been paid regularly due to a very difficult financial situation. They are in disastrous form with 6 defeats and 1 draw in the last 7 rounds and today coach Jose Acciari has serious problems, because key players captain Thiago Ceijas (12/0), Enzo Espinoza (12/0), and Bozhidar Penchev (12/0) are out of the squad.

After nine wins in a row, Lokomotiv Plovdiv failed in the last three matches, having two draws in the hard away matches against Ludogorets and Cherno More and a loss by CSKA Sofia in the last round. In all matches, they were an equal opponent, and with a bit of luck, they would win more points They are still at the top of the table with a 5-1-1 home record and this is an ideal chance to raise their self confidence with a big win.

We received information from a player in CSM Ramnicu Sarat, that the team is in total chaos. They lost the last game against Unirea Branistea because of the goalkeeper, who is a kid that almost every day is drunk in bars and nightclubs. Capitan of Ramnicu Sarat is going only to play games, he is not training with the team. The club lost many important players from last season, while two important players still didn\'t recover after the injuries.

On the other side, AFC Metalul Buzau is stronger and stronger day by day. They are a financially stable team with quality players from the second League. AFC Metalul Buzau\'s coach is one of the best in the league and took some experienced players like Tudor Saim, Alin Manea, and Sergiu Arnautu, who played in the Romanian First League.

After the crazy game in Varnsdorf and the national team break, Jihlava has a tough challenge. They will face the leader of the table Vyškov, who is a team with a large foreign legion led by former Jihlava coach Jan Kameník.

Vyškov is writing his own chronicle in an interesting way, in which in the foreseeable future there should be a record of progress among the Czech elite. With the strong foreign owner Kingsley Pungong behind them, they were able to win the premier promotion to the Second League. In the last season, they even reached the final 2nd place, and after a tricky playoff for Fortuna Liga, Zlín was better, but this year it seems that Vyškov will at least want to repeat the playoff participation. After twelve rounds played, they are 1st with an 8-3-1 record and a four-point lead over Dukla Prague. Vyško\'s wins at Dukla Prague and Brno are especially worth noting because they are promotion candidates. There are 6 Africans in the starting lineup, who always make the difference and one of them Idjessi Metsoko is 3rd scorer in the league.

Jihlava somehow stabilizes after 4 defeats in a row. They took a draw away to Varnsdorf and won against Prostejov, but today second scorer Araujo-Wilson (12/4) and main central defender Emir Tombul (12/1) are suspended.

Vyskov is the best team in the league in all aspects and expect to continue the promotion race.

Arema will visit PSM Makassar in the 16th round of League 1. The Portuguese coach Fernando Valente has enormous problems with absences because his team is being hit by a storm of injuries. Out of the squad are first goalkeeper Schwarzer (11/0), defenders
Marasabessy (7/0), Hamdi (7/0), Farisi (3/0), midfielders Rafli (11/0), Nwokolo (6/0), forwards Santoso (14/0) and Darmono (6/0).

Defending champions of League 1, PSM Makassar has been plagued by many problems throughout the 2023/2024 season. They suffered 5 defeats in a row (3 in the league and 2 in the AFC Cup), scoring only 1 goal. The national team break comes at the right moment to recover all injured players and rest well, so this is a big chance to come back on the winning ways. At home, they are traditionally one of the strongest teams in the league so I think that Arema is the right opponent to take the three points.

The Rockets will be shorthanded when they face the San Antonio Spurs. Rockets coach Ime Udoka can\'t count on Jalen Green, Tari Eason and Jock Landale. San Antonio Spurs looked good through three quarters in the loss to Houston Rockets two days ago. Gregg Popovich said that Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Tre Jones will all play in tonight\'s match which is a big boost. I think that with these players San Antonio Spurs is 30% stronger so it\'s a good chance to take revenge.

The Las Vegas Aces will be without both stars point guard Chelsea Gray and center Kiah Stokes for Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. Both are dealing with foot injuries sustained during the Game 3, which is a huge blow for coach Becky Hammon. Under these circumstances, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones will completely dominate in the racket, while Breanna Stewart will lead his team to 2:2 in the final series. In the Barclays Center in New York, the home side easily cover this line in the last 3 mutual matches.

ASVEL is not in its best form. In need of success in the LNB, just like in the Euroleague, a change of coach could be the best way to heal the Lyon club led by TJ Parker. Discussions are said to be underway with Italian technician Andrea Trinchieri. Weakened after a disappointing last season and a more than sluggish start to the year they will travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce. The crisis is very serious because in the French league, they are in 8th place with 3 defeats in 7 rounds, while in the Euroleague have been looking for a victory since January 20, with a series of 15 defeats, including two this season. Lyon Villeurbanne was notably beaten by Partizan Belgrade (62-88) and Crvena Zvezda (94-73), while the last-round close defeat 89-84 against Anadolu Efes is not realistic, because Efes has an 80-63 lead on 5-6 minutes until the end and was completely relaxed with bench players.

Fenerbahce has one close overtime win over Milano (85-82) and a close defeat away to Valencia (77-74), while in the last round, finally showed their real power by crashing Panathinaikos at home 83-69. In the last league match took another double digit win against Bahçeşehir Koleji (113-98), which gave another boost to their selfconfidence.

All in all, the current coach, TJ Parker (brother of owner Tony Parker) is at the exit door in ASVEL, so I think that this will be his last match after a big double margin defeat.

In the second round of the European Cup, PEAC welcomes Venezia, which is undefeated on all fronts.

PEAC didn\'t start well in the opening round, where they were closely defeated by Bursa 78-75 and reacted to refereeing decisions. Their best player Sydney Wallace, suffered an injury but will play today under injections. Venezia is the group\'s favorite, semi-finalist of the previous European Cup competition and a bronze medalist of last year\'s Italian championship. There were some comings and goings with the team in the summer, two key players Antonia Delaere and Sara Madera left, but the two dominant tall players, the Finnish-Egyptian Awak Kuier and the American Jessica Shepard, strengthened the Italians. Shepard has not yet been able to play for the Venezia, after an ankle injury in the WNBA playoffs. Together with all this, Andrea Mazzon\'s team got off to a great start, undefeated in the domestic league (three double-digit victories), and beat Dubrovnik in the first round by a huge margin, 91-38. One of the basic weapons of the Italians is that they focus on defense and try to lead quick attacks.

I think that Venezia is way better than the Hungarian team and should easily cover this line.

Excellent start to the season for Valencia, who are on a six-game winning streak in Spain and the EuroLeague after losing in the opening round of the ACB league. They will play a third game at home in the EuroLeague, as Maccabi moved due to the extraordinary situation in Israel. Last week they defeated Fenerbahce 77-74, with Brandon Davis having a very good game with 18 points, Chris Jones adding 11 and Damian Inglis having 10 points and 5 rebounds. With the known absences (Jared Harper, Martin Hermansson, and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui), Valencia is showing a super performance, while Stefan Jovic, who didn\'t play against Breogan, returns and is available.

This is the first match after 13 days for Maccabi, as the game of the second matchday against Olimpia Milano was postponed, as of course every domestic activity, due to the extraordinary situation in Israel. Maccabi had settled in the previous days in Cyprus, where they trained and from where they traveled with a private flight to Valencia. The match in the Spanish city, in fact, has been characterized as high risk and security measures will be increased compared to a normal match in Valencia. Obviously, Oded Kattash team will also be affected by this whole situation, with the Maccabi players also releasing a statement of support for the victims. As for the game, point guard Wade Baldwin remains out, while no other game problems have been reported.

Valencia is very strong at Font de Sant Lluis and must use all situation around the Israeli team. 

Both teams are currently in a relegation battle in the Bavarian Regional League, with the Salzachstadt team (14th place) only being ahead of the Swabians by a better goal difference. Memmingen arrived in Burghausen heavily decimated. Coach Bernd Maier can\'t count on Bettrich (15/0), Gerlspeck (12/0), Brugger (12/0), Müller (11/1), Trkulja (11/1), Dewein (9/0), Moser (6/0), Tanev (3/0), Remiger, and Zeqiri. Due to this reason, many players from the U21 squad are included in the team.

After the last round defeat by Vilzing, Burghausen decided to change the coach and promoted previous assistant Robert Berg as a new manager. In the last home match, they convincingly won against Schalding (3-0) and coach Berg still have to do without the long-term injured Hyseni (11/0), Winklbauer (10/5), Begotaraj (2/0), and Niedermayer (1/0).

Memmingen is one of the worst away teams and with these key absences will have a lot of problems to make a positive result.

Schalding is currently going through a difficult period in the Bavarian Regional League. The Green-Whites have recently suffered four defeats in a row. To make matters worse, coach Stefan Köck can’t count on many important players like Brückl (15/2), Knochner (14/0), Stiglbauer (13/2), Rossdorfer (11/2), Zillner (11/0), Drofa (8/1), Weiß (6/1), and Gallmaier. They need to travel over 300 kilometers against the undefeated league leaders, who are number one contenders for the title and are huge favorites. Because this match is scheduled in a working day, some of the players will need to travel by private cars. Wurzburger Kickers is destroying every opponent, having 12-3-0 record and 29:8 goal difference. They are in a 8 matches winning streak so everything then a big home victory will be a big surprise.

Buducnost has made big investment in the new season and is one of the candidates to win the Eurocup in order to compete in the Euroleague next year. The Montenegrins have put together a very physical roster with a lot of offensive talent with players like Ross, Wright IV or Williams. In the ABA league, they smashed Krka, Zadar and Mornar, while in the Eurocup they won against Lietkabelis and lost away to Turk Telecom 79-77.

Slask Wroclaw is without a point guards for the match in Podgorica, due to injuries of Evans and Wisniewski. An additional problems is that their new signing Ferrari will not be available today. They lost by Cluj-Napoca and JL Bourg in the opening two rounds, while in the last league match were smashed at home by Szczecin 60-83.

Buducnost is a very serious and tough team at home and I think that will easily cover this line.

Albania is half a step away from qualifying for the final stage of the European championship for the 2nd time in their history after 2016. The 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in Tirana last Thursday cemented them at the top, while the draw between Poland and Moldova suits them a lot. Their is tw matches left in November, in which 1-2 points are enough to secure their Euro ticket. Today, only absences are Borja, Bare, Ismajli and Daku. Problems continue for the Bulgarians, after a shocking home defeated 0-2 in Sofia by Lithuania. They are in the last place in the 7th group of the Euro qualifiers and Serbian selector Krstaic is under huge pressure and probable will be sacked after the end of qualifications. Today, Nedyalkov, Hristov and Yankov are out of the team. Albanians are sailing in an „ocean of happiness“ and their own coach enjoys universal acceptance for his way of working. I think that their self-confidence is sky rocketing and despite that this is a friendly match, they will give their best to continue their superb run of results.

Ivory Coast\'s performance in the very strong friendly against Morocco ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations was encouraging. They showed great performance and could get more than a 1-1 draw. Coach Jean-Louis Gasset has a top quality players at his disposal like Haller (Dortmund), Bamba (Celta Vigo), Diakite (Reims), Fofana (Al Nassr), Kessie (Al Ahli SC), Konate (Salzburg), Kossounou (Bayer Leverkusen), Krasso (Crvena zvezda), Adingra (Brighton), Zaha (Galatasaray) and many others. South Africa had disastrous image in the 0-0 draw against Eswatini four days ago. Coach Hugo Broos said that was ashamed by his players, because they play without passion and lost every duel. South Africa have the advantage of having an extra day\'s rest, but they are coming off a miserable performance against Eswatini amateurs. The Ivory Coast, as admitted by the coach of Morocco, deserved to win in the last match, and I think that have much more quality in their ranks to win the match. The match will take place at Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

MMTS Kwidzyn handball players have an extremely difficult game ahead of them. They will face the runners-up Wisla Plock with enormous problems in the team. Due to injuries several key players like Michał Potoczny, Łukasz Zakreta, Robert Kamyszek, Mateusz Kosmala, and Alan Guziewicz. Wisła Płock is a clear favorite in this match. After all, they are the Polish runner-up, Polish Cup finalist, and Champions League participant. As if that wasn\'t enough in this Orlen Super League season, Xavier Sabate\'s players are undefeated so far and have won all 8 matches. In the league table, they are only ahead of Kielce, who has one match more. Last season, Wisla Plock won in both matches by +24 and +18 difference so with these problems in the home side, they will easily take a double digit win.

I\'m not a big Tennis fan, but I put an eye on this match. This is the first round of Challenger in Hamburg, where the 19th-year-old Macedonian Kalin Ivanovski is a small favorite against the Dutch Jelle Sels. The Macedonian is a young prospect who year by year is climbing on the ATP ranking, having the best possible ranking at the moment 331. His best surfaces are clay and hard, and this year he won the first titles on clay at Kramsach (Austira) and Skopje (Macedonia). He opened the hard season at the start of September, having a positive score of 6 wins and 4 defeats, playing the last match on the 12th of October at the Challenger of Bratislava, where he lost in the 1/8 finals. 

Jelle Sels is at the 300 place on the ATP ranking but in a HEAVY decline. He played 24 matches on all surfaces in 2023 and won only 3. The losing streak counts 12 defeats in a row, while in the last match more than a month ago (12.09.23) on a clay surface, he retired against Maks Kasnikowski after losing the first set 6-1 due to a knee injury. This will be his first match after more than a month, while the last match on a hard surface was on the 23rd of August. He played four matches on hard in 2023 and lost all of them by 2-0.

In these circumstances, I think that these odds have GREAT value and will give a FULL STAKE.

The 26th edition of the South American Basketball League takes place in Misiones (Argentina). The Paraguayan team Deportivo San Jose won in the opening two rounds against Obera TC and the main favorite Instituto de Córdoba. In the Luis Derna gymnasium in the city of Oberá, they will play against Malvin de Montevideo, who lost by Obera TC after overtime and was heavily crashed yesterday by Instituto de Córdoba 62-108. I think that this is an ideal chance for the Paraguayan team to celebrate and verify the first place against Malvin, who lost their chances for the first two places. 

Vienna Timberwolves has a really difficult task at the start of the season, as Duches Klosterneuburg has not lost a single game in the national competitions in the last two years. The Timberwolves will not be able to count on the best players Aleksandra Novakovic (15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists), Mira Eulering (7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds,1.4 assists), and Sara Konkolova. The Duchess national player Michaela Wildbacher had to move to St. Pölten, but with the Zderadicka sisters, Sarah Winkler, Sina Höllerl, Lilla Horvath, and the Greek Evangelia Vamvaka, the Lower Austrians are still clear favorites for the championship title. In both matches last season, Duches Klosterneuburg celebrated by +38 and +45 difference.

Leganes was “stuck” in a 0-0 draw with Oviedo at home, remaining winless for the second consecutive round. With 18 points in their “bag”, they remain in the playoff zone, and with a possible victory can climb to the 2nd place. Coach Borja Jimenez is doing a good job, especially at home with 3-1-1 stats. The only long-term absences are Arambarri (6/0) and Miramón (4/1). After the 1-2 home defeat by Eibar, Amorebieta completed four consecutive games without a win, remaining in the relegation zone. They are one of the weakest away teams with a 0-1-4 record and have some key absences like Dorrio (10/1), Cuñat (9/0), Etxeita (7/0), and Mier (5/0). Leganes is obliged to return to winning ways after two games in order to get back on track and counts three consecutive victories over Amorebieta.

Derby matches are usually the icing on the basketball cake, and the women’s match in Brno is just a kilo of cherries. Sunday’s derby in the 4th round of the ŽBL women’s league will pit the domestic Eurocup representatives against each other in the Rosnička hall.

On Wednesday, Zabiny lost in extra time at home to Spanish Cadi La Seu, while on the other hand, KP Brno won confidently over Grengewald Hueschtert on Thursday in the suburbs of Luxembourg. The advantage of Zabiny is that they didn’t move from Rosnička this week, on the contrary, KP Brno girls enjoyed traveling around Europe. After Friday’s delayed arrival from Brussels to Prague, they spent the night on the closed D1 section – due to the suspicion of a bomb on board the bus from Germany.

Last season, the balance of the matches between each other was equal, in October 2022 the KP Brno team won 65:64, in the January rematch Žabiny won 91:72. In the current year of the league, the city rivals have the same balance of 2/1. The home side is reinforced with a WNBA player Mexican-French star Séněchal and the best player from last season American center Cunane and Bosnian point guard Kněževič stayed in the team.

KP Brno coach Marcela Krämer said that traveling problems will surely affect the performance and I think that Zabiny Brno is a favorite in this clash.

PAE Egaleo has had a poor start to the season and already the murmurs are strong as they have 3/4 league and cup defeats. In the last double battle with Diagoras (in the Cup and league), they didn\'t show a competitive face in either match. They were initially beaten 2-1 on Rhodes for the 2nd round of the league, conceding two goals in the space of five minutes before the end of the first half. Then, they welcomed them for the 5th round of the Cup, where after a sterile first and second half, the match went to overtime. There, they conceded two goals and were disqualified. Today, due to injuries Theologou (2/0), Tampas (2/0), Ramírez (1/0), and Marathonitis (1/0) are out of the squad. Kalamata played an excellent match against Giouchtas and easily beat them by 3-1 in their first home match, kicking off the season in impressive fashion. They opened the league season with two impressive performances and have a goal difference of 7:2. In the Cup, they were eliminated by strong Athens Kallithea after penalties, but the promotion to the Super League is their main priority. Key defender Georgios Valerianos is back after suspension.

At the given time, there is a level difference between the two teams. PAE Egaleo is in crisis and doesn\'t look capable of getting its first points in the league. Kalamata is in excellent condition and will get the three points.

Forest Rangers have a big problem with the goalkeeper position because the first one Daniel Mutshinuemu has been ruled out of the squad, after sustaining a knock against Green Eagles in the last round. This means that inexperienced Chibwe will not to stand between the posts. Another problem is the absence of their top scorer Libamba Moyela, who is in the Zambia national team for their friendly matches. MUZA is one of the best teams in Zambia. Last season finished in 2nd place, and this season they are undefeated with a 3-3-0 score and 2nd best defense in the league. Forest Rangers has only 1 win in the last 5 rounds, and with these two key absences will have a lot of problems getting a positive result. In their 4 mutual matches, MUZA has 3 wins and 1 draw.

St. Gallen II will play against their table neighbors Rapperswil. Due to national team calls and injuries Parente (9/0), Konietzke (9/0), Figueiredo (7/0), Neziri (6/1), Gecaj (3/0), Diabbassey (2/0), and Rasmussen (1/0) are out of the squad, which is a big blow. After two defeats in a row, Rapperswil came back on the winning road with a big 2-5 away victory against Kriens. They are still winless at home with 0-2-2 stats, and this is an ideal chance to take the first home win.

Swindon suffered a 5-0 defeat away to Reading and were eliminated from the EFL Trophy. In the league, they lost 1-0 away to Bradford City and 3-1 against Notts Co, dropping out of the top seven. They were undefeated for 9 games (5-4-0), but in the last two \"counts\" the same number of defeats. Newport has only 1 win in the last 7 league matches (1-2-4) and will be heavily depleted for this match. Due to injuries Adam Lewis (10/1), Wildig (10/0), Charsley (7/2), Clarke (7/0), Palmer-Houlden (5/1), Thomas (5/0), Drysdale (5/0), and Jameson (3/0). Swindon is having a very good season, and Newport is an ideal opponent to get back on the winning track.

Bosco is in big financial problems. Before the start of the season, they brought in a new coach, Ante Samac, but he left the club after only a few days, and the best players also left:

Luka Krajnovic (17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists)
Marko Juric (12.5 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists)
Luka Katura (10 points, 3 rebounds, 1.2 assists)
Luka Babic (9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists)
Andrej Matic (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2.2 assists)
Mladen Primorac (7.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists)
captain Petar Babic (7.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists)
Shanquan Hemphill (6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.1 assists)
Leon Sljivaric (2.5 points,1.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists)
Ante Covic (2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists)
Toma Rukavina (2 points,1.3 rebounds, 0.4 assists)

All this was reflected at the beginning of the season, where they were convincingly defeated by newly promoted Dubrovnik at home 54-101, 105-74 by Cedevita Junior, and Dinamo Zagreb by 106-61. After two close defeats by Alkar and Skrljevo, Dubrava won the first match against Zabok in the last round.

Bosco is looking like a punching bag at the start of the season, and despite the big handicap, I think that Dubrava will easily cover this line.

Croatia is heavily depleted for the upcoming match against Bosnia & Herzegovina. Similar to the last match, coach Nenad Šoštarić can\'t count on captain Katarina Ježić, central back Valentina Blažević, pivot Ana Debelić and goalkeeper Ivana Kapitanović. Bosnia & Herzegovina was trashed by Romania by a +32 goal difference and for sure will try to show a different image against their neighbors. This is a similar Ex-Yu school of handball and I don\'t think that Croatia will demolish the Bosnian girls.

The Graz99ers had to cancel the games against Pustertal and Black Wings Linz last week for health reasons due to a highly contagious infection cluster throughout the club. The recruitment of all players from the KAC II and Zell am See cooperation teams was also not sufficient to give a team “fit to play” status. Last Friday, the Graz99ers were informed by the league that both Pustertal and Black Wings Linz were seeking a sporting solution in the spirit of fair play. Now both parties rowed back and the two encounters were verified with a score of 0:5 each against the Graz99ers.

Linz President Nader contacted the Graz99ers personally on Friday and assured them that the game against the Black Wings would be rescheduled. For reasons of fairness and in case it should also affect Upper Austrians in the future. Nader even repeated these words in the press.  Pustertal had also signaled to the league that they were striving for a sporting solution. As a result, the ICE Hockey League has released a press release stating that both games may be rescheduled.

The Graz99ers have been given a time window so that a new date must be agreed with the two teams by October 10th. Both clubs were no longer interested in a fair sporting solution and so there was no discussion about new dates in the last few days. On the contrary, the clubs were sometimes difficult or impossible to reach for the Graz99ers until Monday evening. The last news is that still the majority of the squad is infected with a highly contagious infectious disease, but they must play this game. In which composition they will travel to Bolzano is under a big question mark.

Bolzano is unrecognizable this season with only 2 wins after 9 rounds. On Wednesday, they played a Champions League match at home against Pelicans and lost in overtime, showing a really good performance. This is an ideal chance for them to get back on the winning track. 

In the only game played in the September “window”, Austria made a “leap” of qualification, beating Sweden 1-3 in Solna. Thanks to an excellent performance in the 2nd half, accompanied by goals from Gregoritsch (53′) and Arnautovic (56′, 69′ pen.), they got a great three points, and remained unbeaten after five games (4-1-0), behind the leaders Belgium. Coach Rangnick has enormous problems with absences and can’t count on captain Alaba, Arnautović, Gregoritsch, Onisiwo, Mwene, Trauner, and Posch, while Sabitzer is doubtful. Seven of these players were in the squad against Sweden, and six of them in the starting lineup. Belgium is in a transition period, but Domenico Tedesco is doing a very good job. He also has some problems due to the injuries of De Bruyne and Trossard, but has a wide roster to cover their absence. Austria is looking for the first victory against Belgium in 64 years, but I doubt that will make a positive result.

On October 13 and 17, Curaçao will again play two home games in the Nations League. Despite there being six teams in the two sections of League A, each team will only play four matches against randomly assigned opponents. Curacao have been dealt a harsh hand, facing Trinidad & Tobago, one of the strongest sides on the continent, twice. Having already lost to Trinidad and Martinique, Curacao is the only side in League A yet to score a goal and are in dreadful form in the last 16 months, having 8 defeats and 1 draw. There are a lot of problems in the national team. After the unexpected dismissal of the coach Remko Bicentini, there was a lot of uncertainty about his successor. A new trainer Dean Gorré was only appointed a week before the international break, and some players will boycott the national team due to these decision like first goalkeeper Eloy Room (Vitesse) and striker Richairo Zivkovic (ex Crvena Zvezda and Sheffield Utd player). Due to injuries captain and record appearance holder Cuco Martina (Breda) and former Brighton & Hove Albion striker Jurgen Locadia are out of the squad, while Leandro Bacuna (Groningen) was sent off against Martinique and will serve a two-match suspension.

Unlike their upcoming opponents, Panama have enjoyed a brilliant 2023, beating USA in the Gold Cup semi-finals before just coming up short to Mexico in the final. In the Nations League, Thomas Christiansen’s side also recorded a win over Martinique, and draw against Guatemala 1-1. Coach Christiansen has recalled Alfredo Stephens, Jose Luis Rodriguez and Edgardo Farina after the trio didn’t play in the previous matches. Panama will look to keep their fine run going with another positive result and keep the race for a quarter-final place.

Dortmund II found a top form in the last month, undefeated in 5 matches (3-2-0) with two consecutive draws with the same result 2-2. They have superb offensive potential and it is always hard to beat them at home. Due to injuries Besong (9/2) and Blank (8/0) are out of the team. Instead of showing a reaction after the defeat (4-0) by Unterhaching, Rot-Weiss Essen suffered an even bigger drag, this time at home, by Verl (0-5). It was their \"heaviest\" defeat after promotion to the 3rd League, receiving nine goals in just four days. The „shock\" was caused by the decision to expel captain Bastians (6/1) from the team, while Rother (6/0) and Eisfeld (4/1) are unavailable. Something has been going wrong in Rot-Weiss Essen lately. The captain is out of the team, there is a big problem in defense and non-existent offense. Dortmund II must take advantage of it and secure another victory.

Stuttgart and Wehen will play a friendly match, where the Bundesliga team will have a lot of absences due to international duties or injuries. Coach Hoeness can\'t count on top scorer Guirassy (7/13), Silas (7/2), Führich (7/2), Ito (7/0), Millot (6/2), Milosevic (3/0), Jeong (3/0), Stergiou (1/0), Nartey, Vagnoman, and Seimen. They started the season in a phenomenal way, having 6 wins and 1 loss with 22:8 goal difference. Wehen stopped the negative series of 4 defeats in a row, after a 1-1 draw against Hamburger SV. In the last friendly match in September, Stuttgart played 8:3 with St. Gallen, and both teams will have an offensive and open approach, scoring a lot of goals. The match is being played behind closed doors for organizational reasons

At first I must say that this is an INSANE line, which can be covered by PSG after the half time, if they play with a maximum approach. Eurofarm Pelister coach Jovic said that this is an impossible mission for them and the only hope is to not be embarrassed. They traveled to Paris without the main goalkeeper Khalifa Ghedbane (who had an excellent performance against Kiel), main pivot Denis Vasiljev and left wing Pavle Atanasijevic. In the first three rounds, they were defeated, and I think that they will not have a victory in the group stage. PSG is one of the most powerful teams with great coach Gonzalez. This will be a walk in the park match for them and will easily grab a double digit victory.

Without showing a good image, Latvia was heavily defeated 5-0 in Croatia, and suffered the 5th defeat in a row. They are in a really bad situation, with a lot of criticism towards the coach Dinis Kazakevic and just waiting for the finish of the qualifying process. Today key players like captain Kristers Tobers, goalkeeper Pāvels Šteinbors, defenders Černomordijs, Jurkovskis, midfielders Kārkliņš, Zjuzins, and forward Gutkovskis ​​are out of action. Armenia was inferior to the circumstances in the last match against Croatia, and lost 0-1. With 7 points so far in the group, they are in a must win situation, taking in consideration the group derby Croatia-Turkey, which is a chance to keep their hopes for 2nd place. Key players Barseghyan and Haroyan are back in the squad. The image of the two teams, but also the motivation is what will count in this particular match. Armenia is much better, they want victory at all costs to their qualification chances, while Latvia is underperforming and a level under the Armenian team.

I must take this line today, because tomorrow will be for sure a double digit. TFT Skopje is a mediocre team in the North Macedonian championship, who is always a hard nut to crack at home. They don\'t have any ambitions in the ABA 2 League, and traveled to Subotica without good player Gorjan Markovski. In the warm up, before the start of yesterday\'s match against Zlatibor, top scorer American Jelani Simmons got an injury, while another American Dwayne Morgan got an injury in the 05th minute and all of them are out of the squad. Coach Smilkovski announced that this is an impossible situation to deal with, and there is no chance to make some positive result, which was visible in the 74-93 defeat by Zlatibor. Siroki Brijeg won against Vojvodina by +9 difference and I can\'t see any other result than a big win by the Bosnian representative.

A few weeks after the SuperCup, where Lyon was destroyed 52-109 by Fenerbahçe, the French team will continue their busy month of October with a trip to the Turkish giant in Istanbul. Coach David Gautier will have to do without Marine Johannès (WNBA), Juste Jocyte, Gabby Williams, and Laura Quevedo. Fenerbahçe is crashing every team in front of them winning against Valencia (96-66) and Hatay (114-48) in the last two matches simply this line is a GIFT and expect another BIG win for them.

Murcia will fly to the Balearic island heavily depleted. Coach Gustavo Munúa can\'t count on Carrillo (6/1), Molina (6/0), Mauro (5/0), Montoro (4/0), Guarrotxena (3/1), Navarro (1/0), and Alonso (1/0). After the bad start of the season, they are in a series of 3 undefeated matches (1-2-0), but against the main candidate for promotion who is still unbeaten (4-2-0) and many key absences will have a super hard task to avoid a defeat.

The Hungarian women’s national team has enormous problems for the upcoming European Cup. They will play with a reserve squad, due to many injuries in the team. Coach Vladimir Golovin can’t count on key players Szöllősi-Zácsik, Janurik, Töpfner, Korsos, Kacsor, and Vamos. Norway is coming to the Phoenix Arena with the strongest possible team. In comparison to the team from the last European championship Camilla Herrem and Sanna Solberg are back in the squad, and simply they will crash the inexperienced and reserve team of Hungary.

The level of organization of North Macedonia youth national teams is really low, and the team is composed of low quality players mainly from the domestic league who are bench players. The starting lineup forward is Zani Nazifi who is playing in Besa, who is the leader of the North Macedonian 2nd league, which shows the capacity of the roster. They were eliminated in the first qualifying round last year, only beating weak San Marino 2-0. The Poles, as hosts, aspire to get both qualification and first place. By the time they reached the finals last year, they were even competitive in an extremely difficult group with Portugal and the eventual winner, Italy. The new coach Wojciech Kobeszko, who has top-quality players like Guercio (Inter), Pitan (Sheffield Utd), Ziolkowski (Legia), Kowalski (Parma), Nsangou (Blackburn) and Mendes-Dudzinski (Benfica). I don\'t see any other result, than a convincing win by the Polish team.

The win against Tortona in the opening league round was heavily paid because Veneia lost their best player and top scorer Kyle Wiltjer (19 points and 6 rebounds), who suffered a sprained knee at the end of the match and will be sidelined for around three weeks. They have two league wins against mediocre Pesaro and Tortona, but without Wiltjer, they lost against London Lions in the first round of the EuroCup. The Parisians arrive at Taliercio after having swept away Wolves Vilnius 105-78 with 20 points and 9 assists from TJ Shorts (Eurocup first-round MVP). The head coach is Tuomas Iisalo, last year at Telekom Basket Bonn with whom they won the Champions League and reached the championship final in Germany. Together with the coach, there are six players from Bonn: TJ Shorts, Herrera, Malcolm, Ward, Kessens and Kratzer. The ranks of Paris Basketball also include the former Treviso player Jantunen and the young talent born in 2002 Nadir Hifi. In the French LNB league, they won 5 from 6 matches, and I think that are a better team in comparison to Venezia, without the best player.

Cedevita Junior will play its first match in the ABA 2 league in Subotica against MZT Skopje. The ABA 2 league is played in 5 balls during the season. Coach Damir Mulaomerović said that this will be a good experience for his young team and they have nothing to lose. MZT Skopje played in the ABA league last season, they have last year\'s Cibona member Marko Baković and former Zadar and Zabok player Eyassa Worku in their ranks, two Americans Ejasu Vorku and Cedric Russell, together with many Macedonian national team players. They are one of the main favorites to get back in the ABA league, while opened the Macedonian league with two convincing victories against good teams Gostivar 85-59 and Kozuv 64:86. I think that MZT is a way better team and should easily take a double digit win.

I already wrote about the enormous problems in Cibona. Their account has been blocked for 120 days and recently the management announced that they will begin the transformation into a sports joint-stock company. The debt is around three million euros and because of this, FIBA give a right to register only one player Alex Stein, so there are currently only six professional players because key players Lovro Mazalin, Borna Kapusta, Krešimir Ljubičić and Luka Frančešević left the team. Cibona is one of the youngest teams in the ABA league, along with Mega, so don\'t have any big expectations. In addition to the fact that the club is currently under bankruptcy, in the ABA league they were defeated by Borac in Čačak in the first round, while in the Croatian championship, they were convincingly outplayed by Zadar, and won against Alkar in the last match two days ago.

In Saturday\'s match against Alkar, coach Jakša Vulić pointed out that the starting five from the match in Sinj were quite worn out. These are their minutes:

Majcunic - 38:59
Perasovic - 38:34
Aranitovic - 35:10
Vukovic - 33:25
Radovcic - 32:32

After two defeats in the ABA Supercup and after the triumph over Cedevita Olimpia, it seemed that FMP would look good at the beginning of the season. Then followed a defeat in an uncertain match against Varese (71-73), only to be shocked by Krka in Belgrade after extra time at the season opener in ABA league.

New players in the FMP jersey Hugo Besson (a player who was selected in the NBA Draft last year), Nate Watson and Lamonte Turner have already shown potential in previous matches. After some time in the system enforced by coach Nenad Stefanović, the newly arrived players adapt to the new team, and will be a big threat to everyone. FMP doesn\'t hide its ambitions to try to upset the upper part of the table and the best teams this year. That is why they are going to Zagreb with the clear goal of winning, and in such circumstances in the home side, the Serbian representative is a big favorite to cover this line.

Rennes is a part of Nationale 1 (third league) in the French basketball system and will be heavily depleted for the upcoming Cup match against Pro B (second league) team La Rochelle. Three key players Cheick Sekou-Conde (18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists), Joffrey Sclear (8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists), and Lucas Fontaine (7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists won\'t be able to play tonight, which is a big blow. La Rochelle has promotion ambitions in Pro B league, and showed that in their first official match in the last Cup round, crashing Tarbers (also a Nationale 1 team) by 100-68. I think that this line is a GIFT and will be easily covered.

Montana stopped the undefeated series of 10 matches (7-3-0) in the last away game against Belasitsa in Petrich. They still hold a direct promotion place and with a possible win will reduce the gap from 1st placed Septemvri Sofia on 2 points. At home, they are always strong having 4-1-0 stats, and today will close the 13th round with a derby match against Spartak Varna. The guests are one of the best home teams, but have a lot of problems outside of Varna, with only 1 win in 5 matches. Today, coach Vasil Petrov can\'t count on three key players: first goalkeeper Georgi Georgiev (9/0), Atanas Zehirov (10/0) and Angel Granchov (10/0). I think that Montana has enough quality in their ranks to stay undefeated.

Lahti have already secured their spot in next season\'s Veikkausliiga and will go to Åland for the last away game of the season. They will be hosted by IFK Mariehamn, who are fighting tooth and nail for their place in the series. There is no longer a big stake in either direction. The place in the series is certain, and there are no more chances for the final European place tournament. Due to injuries Kabashi (23/0), Pirttijoki (13/2), Könkkölä (12/0), and Andrade (5/0) are out of the squad, while away from home, have only 1 victory in the last 10 league matches. After yesterday\'s 2-0 defeat of KTP (away to Haka), this is an ideal chance for Mariehamn to move out of the last place, because in the final round, there will be a real war away to KTP in a direct battle for the barrage place.

I will repeat myself for uncountable time. This Fenerbahce is absolutely unstoppable. They have 15 wins in a row in all competitions with a goal difference of 44:7. In the last match against Trnava in the Europea Conference League, the main players Dzeko and first goalkeeper Livakovic, were rested, while Tadic (who entered in the 84th minute), Szymanski, Fred and Djiku entered in 63rd minute. After 4 winless matches, Kasimpasa grabs two victories in a row, but they have the worst defense in the league, receiving 14 goals in 7 matches, and the only absence will be Mamadou Fall (5/2). Fenerbahce has 9 wins in their last 10 visits of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadyumu in Istanbul, and I don\'t see any other outcome than a clear Fenerbahce victory.

In a poor quality game, Dinamo Bucuresti lost 1-0 away to Otelul, where they showed a slow pace from the start of the match, and noticeable difficulties in creating chances. They are in a series of 4 league defeats in a row, without scoring a single goal, and coach Ovidiu Burca said: “I don’t feel the pressure that I might not be the coach of the club soon. I’m doing everything in my power to keep the wins coming, staying calm and dedicated to the team”. After this interview, he was heavily criticized by the public and media. Due to injuries Bani (10/0), Homawoo (6/0), and Ilic (4/0) are out, while Larrucea (10/1) is doubtful. CFR Cluj continued the phenomenal series of results. After the midweek win against Sepsi, they count 8th wins in the last 9 games. They have two absences Tachtsidis (8/1) and Manea (6/1), but the bench is wide enough to cover them. After yesterday’s victory of FCSB, they must win the match in order to keep the title race.

After four defeats in a row, Maritsa Plovdiv took a hard home victory against Dobrudzha, with a goal in the last seconds of the match. They are a really weak team away from Plovdiv, having 11 defeats in 17 away matches last season, while this season has 4 defeats in 5 visits. Today, due to suspensions their best players Nigerians David Ifeanyi (12/1) and James Solomon (12/0) are unavailable. In the derby of the round, Strumska Slava lost away to Spartak Varna, receiving two goals in the 2nd half. They are a really good home side with 4-1-1 stats and with a possible win, will be only 4 points away from the 3rd place.

Lillestrom has three suspended players and a number of minor injuries. Due to suspensions, Coach Eirik Bakke can\'t count on Garnås (21/2), Edh (19/1), and Rogers (4/0), while top scorer Olsen (20/12), Ranger (13/0) and some others are doubtful. Coach Bakke said: „ We a very thin now, but this is a chance for other players to get playing time and show their potential“. They are safe in the middle of the standings with +15 points from the play-out place and -12 points from European places on 7 rounds until the end of the season, while away from home have only 1 win in the last 5 games.

Stabaek broke out in the postponed home match, beating HamKam 5-2. Thus reached 20 points and although remained in the penultimate position, but reduced the difference from the safety line to a point. This is a local derby of the greater Oslo area. Stabaek is fighting to avoid relegation and is coming off a big win in midweek, which boosted their morale. Lillestrom is in the middle of the standings, has no visible hopes of anything more, and is playing with significant absences.

Toulouse made the first victory after 14 years in Europe, beating the Austrian LASK Linz 1-0 in the 2nd round of the Europa League groups. In the league, they returned to winning ways, easily beating Metz 3-0, but today have some key absences like the best player Schmidt (7/1), and top scorer Aboukhlal (5/3). Brest continued the excellent run and got an important point away from Nice without any goals. They are fully competitive, and deserve the 3rd position on the standings, unbeaten in their last four games (2-2-0), with just one defeat. The home side has an amazing start to the season and looks capable of beating any opponent. Toulouse has double obligations in France and Europe and fatigue will be an additional problem.

In midweek, Young Boys got the first point in the Champions League and left Belgrade unscathed (2-2). In the championship, they had a reaction after the defeat away to St. Gallen, winning 0-1 against Grasshoppers after a poor quality game. Basel was unable to reverse the situation. With a temporary solution on the bench after the removal of Timo Schulz, they suffered a heavy 0-3 home defeat by Lausanne Ouchy. In fact, their fans didn\'t hide their displeasure with banners and loud boos. They have only 1 win after 8 rounds (1-2-5), while Comas (6/1), Lopez (3/0), and Hunziker (1/1) are out of the squad. Basel is going through one of the worst periods in the last 20 years. With the image they project on the field, the chances of leaving Bern unscathed are on the verge of improbable. Young Boys is trying not to lose contact with the top and must win this match.

Botoșani lost by Universitatea Craiova 5-1 away from home and was never in contention for the result. They appeared passive from the start, facing huge defensive problems, receiving two quick goals (10th, 36th minute). In the second half, they were \"mercilessly pounded\" by the home team, and conceded three more goals (70\', 89\', 90\'). The useful defender Sadikou, the valuable winger Mailat and the newly arrived forward Chică-Roșa remain injured.

Botosani has been considered as a branch of FSCB for years, and many believe that they serve as a second team, and a lot of evidence supports that. Since Botosani became a member of League 1, the owner of FCSB bought 9 players, the best from Botosani since 2013. Also, Botosani has never won in this stadium against them in history. FCSB won 12 and had 2 draws in their 14 visits to Botosani, which is an extraordinary result. FCSB is fighting for the title with Cluj and they have +1 point difference at 1st place. Both clubs publicly attack the other for influencing referees. FCSB has only one absence, Radunović (10/1 suspended).

Botosani is coming off an embarrassing defeat away to Craiova, with just one win in their last 13 official matches. Steaua \"stumbled\" against Universitatea Cluj, and this is an ideal chance to get back on the winning road. 

Ostrow Wielkopolski has big problems with injuries and illnesses in the team. Coach Andrzej Urban traveled to Stargard without Djurisic, Skele, Sulima, while Chyliński is in heavy doubt due to illness. Djurisic and Skele are the leaders of the Ostrowski team, and these absences are a HUGE blow. Spojnia Stargard opened the season with two big away wins against Gdynia 86-96 and Czarni Slupsk 61-81 and this is an ideal chance to easily cover these line. 

We have a very interesting situation in the last round of Finland Kakkonen Group B, where EPS and Jazz Pori are in the race for a promotion place, while GrIFK and Tampere United for the last playoff sport.

GrIFK travels to Pori as a guest of Jazz. By winning this match, Jazz can still become the winner of the whole series, if Tampere United wins EPS, so the team from Pori will surely have a lot of motivation in their own match. On the other hand, GrIFK have a must-win situation in Pori, if they want to qualify for the promotion. If Jazz wins or there is a draw in Pori, Tampere United will stay ahead of GrIFK regardless of the result of the match in Espoo.

A point is enough for both EPS and Tampere United to fulfill their own goals, despite the result in Pori and neither team necessarily takes an extravagant risk to seek victory.

These odds have a considerable value, so I will try. Llandudno used to be a well-known name in Wales, but at the moment they have fallen to the bottom as they fight for survival in the Cymru North League. The previous president, who left less than a month ago, left behind large debts and financial problems that are currently difficult to solve, so the club often asks for help through donations from the fans. The first team of guests is very, very young and they haven\'t even started to grow mustaches yet. Gresford is in form at the moment, with 3 straight victories in the championship and 5 straight wins if we count the cup matches. Last season the visitors were even 3rd in the table, but this time the reality is different, the club has no money and the goal is to secure survival.

In the championship, Leicester had 9 wins in the opening 10 rounds, and are main candidate to come back in the Premier League. back on the top of the standings. In their last match, they broke Preston\'s resistance in the 2nd half, scoring 3 goals in a period of 30 minutes. Due to injuries Doyle (8/0), McAteer (7/4), and Praet (2/0) are out of the squad. Stoke has 5 defeats in the last 7 matches (1-1-5) in all competitions. They have injury problems because Stevens (5/0), Campbell (5/0), Mmaee (4/0), and Baker, while Wilmot (10/1), Rose (8/0), Hoever (8/1), Gooch (5/0), and Vidigal (5/4) got some minor injuries. Coach Neill is clearly not the manager who can bring them out of the crisis and expect a clear victory from the home side. 

Here I play more against Reading than Leyton. Currently Reading has the biggest problems in its history. This club played in the Premier League 10 years ago, and now they will probably be relegated from this league as well, because of their large debts, a lot of points are taken away from them. Although it says -4 points, but that number is higher and they were deprived of -16 points. For this reason, the last home match against Burton (0:0) was interrupted by the fans in the 16th minute by throwing tennis balls onto the field. Also, there are big protests against the current owner Dai Yongge, who wants to sell the club, and invest a small amount of money. Logically, in these conditions, it\'s difficult for the players to concentrate on football, having 3 wins, 1 draw, 6 defeats and a particularly weak away from home where they lost all 5 matches. Also today, the host will pay tribute to one of his fans who unfortunately passed away. He got sick last round away to Lincoln and after the news that he passed away, that match was called off. I expect motivated Leyton Orient, who is capable of taking advantage of these big problems.

Antalyaspor started to find a rhythm and after the victory over Samsunspor, they won Istanbulspor AS (1-2). With 2-3-2 in the first 7 games, they are in the middle of the standings, and today have two absences Kałuziński (3/0) and Akyol (2/0). Galatasaray drives their fans in a crazy manner. They came to Old Trafford last Tuesday, beating Manchester United 2-3, after a superb performance. They were twice behind the score, and had answers with Icardi and Akturkoglu, but also missed penalty in the 78th minute. In the Super League, they have 6-1-0 stats since the start of the season, and there is no chance to make mistakes because their hated arch-rival Fenerbahce is like a machine. They play excellent football, and this is a must-win match for them.

Basaksehir has only one victory in the opening 7 rounds (1-1-5), against relegation candidate Istanbulspor AS. The main reason for these results are big injury crisis that hit the team. Coach Atan can\'t count on goalkeeper Şengezer (3/0), defenders Lima (7/0), Duarte (6/0), Edgar Ie (2/0), Şahiner (2/0) and midfielder Gurler (6/0). Gaziantep completely changed its mentality under the new coach Romanian Marius Sumudica, and achieved 2 consecutive victories. These results certainly boost the morale of the players, and I think that will be highly motivated to bring another positive result.

Barry has had serious problems with absence in the last week. In the last home match against Caernarfon, they suffered their 5th defeat in the last 6 games, while out of the squad were first goalkeeper Mike Lewis (9/0), defenders Curtis McDonald (8/0), Chris Hugh (7/0), midfielders Callum Sainty (7/0), Sam Snaith (6/1) and Finn Roberts (1/0). Cardiff Metropolitan is winless in the last 4 rounds, having two consecutive draws. In the last home match against Haverfordwest, they missed a penalty in the 92nd minute to celebrate the three points. At home, they are hard nut to crack having 10-2-4 stats last season, while this season they have only 1 defeat by absolutely the best team and multiple Wales champions TNS. In their mutual matches at Cyncoed Campus, they won 3 from the last 4 games, and are heavy favourites against the worst away team in the league.

It’s been a long and tricky season for Kerry players. In the 33 rounds, they suffered 27 defeats and have just eight points on the board, one win and five draws. It\'s been a really hard season, because the players are semi-amateur\'s, have working obligations and coach Billy Dennehy is happy that the regular season is coming to an end, giving an opportunity to many youth players to gain experience. In an interview with Irish newspaper Independent he said: „Some of what the players have experienced in the last eight months come as a culture shock to the Kerry players“. He has some additional problems, because can\'t count on Ronan Teahan (31/0), Sean Kennedy (18/1), Jonathan Hannafin (12/0), Wayne Guthrie (11/0), Aaron O\'Sullivan (6/0), and Andy Quaid (4/0). Three rounds before the end, Wexford had a great motive for points. They are fighting to stay in the play offs and what is more important is to avoid Waterford in the playoffs and they will do that by finishing the season ahead of Athlone. All in all, the guests will be highly motivated to win the match against already relegated and depleted Kerry.

NKA Pecs is a newly promoted team. After the start of the season in Szombathely, NKA Pecs will play away to Kaposvar in the second round of the NB I. They suffered a heavy 112-92 defeat against Szombathely, where the home side have +26 advantage after the half time and gave a chance to the bench players. Coach Goran Tadic has an extremely youth team at his disposal and for example 15-year-old Gábor Lukácsi played 11 minutes in the first match.

After the match the coach said: „There are many players in our team who have not yet played in the first division, so they don\'t have any experience at this level. That is why we can\'t say that we have a good chance in any match. It\'s especially important that our young players always get better and better after training sessions and matches“.

Kaposvár has five foreigners (3 Americans and 2 Serbians). They have significant experience in the first division, and also have great fans. At home they are excellent, well organized, so it is clear that they have a much better chance to score a big win. In the opening round, they won a hard away match against Kormend, after a bad 4th quarter.

I think that this line is a GIFT and expect a double digit win.

Cadí La Seu will face Zaragoza at the Palau d\'Esports de la Seu d\'Urgell in the second round of the League Female Endesa.

After winning the Copa de la Reina and reaching third place in the standings, Zaragoza continues at a good pace, currently occupying second place, after beating Spar Girona on the opening day by a resounding 65-38. The team led by Carlos Cantero (best coach 22/23), has a very complete team. In attack, Zaragoza stands out for being a very vertical team, with many scorers such as Fiebich (last season\'s MVP), Atkinson and Gimeno, and with good ball movement, thanks to the brain of the team Mariona Ortiz. In defense, we can expect a very aggressive Casademont on the passing lines (with Helena Oma being the defensive specialist) and with a good mastery of the rebound, thanks to very tall players like Diallo and Geldof. Their streak was seen in the first Euro league match, where they crushed Romanian champions Sepsi 85-57.

Cadí La Seu will look to recover from the defeat against Barcelona CBS in the first round (66-63). Many key players such as Jewel Tunstull, Stephanie Watts, Georgina Bahi, Paula Strautmane, and Jelena Vucetic left the team, and this season will be much weaker.

I think that Zaragoza is one of the title contenders and must cover these lines.

After a clear 2-0 win over U.Craiova 1948 at home, CFR Cluj continued the phenomenal series of results. That was their 7th win in the last 8 games. They entered the match strongly, gave the initiative and “hit” on the counter-attacks with fast attackers, creating many opportunities. Due to injury Manea (6/1) is out, while left back Camora (9/1) is doubtful. Sepsi was inferior to Farul Constanta and suffered the 3rd defeat in the last 4 matches. Coach Ciobotariu has serious problems with absences and can’t count on defenders Ciobotariu (8/0), Ninaj (7/0 suspended), Otelita (7/0), midfielders Păun (7/0) and Rodriguez (5/0). The guests are strongly concerned with their image, and with important absences will have a hard task to avoid the defeat at Dr. Constantin Rădulescu stadium, where they have 3 defeats in the last 4 matches.

In the first game of qualification for the FIBA ​​Europe Cup, Rostock Seawolves prevailed against the Macedonian representative Feniks 2010 with 101:72. The Wolves’ three top scorers were Tyler Nelson (20 points, 4/6 three-pointers), Robin Amaize (17 points, 2/3) and Derrick Alston Jr. (13 points, 3/6). Coach Christian Held wisely distributed the minutes to all players, where Nelson played the most (23 minutes). It was their third match in six days + long journey from Germany to Cyprus. The quality of the roster is much higher then the Cyprus team, who despite the home field, didn’t have any other advantage in this match. Expect a maximum approach from the German team, because the winner qualifies to the FIBA ​​Europe Cup group stage.

Kataja Basket will play the final match at their own Motonet Arena for a place in the FIBA ​​Europe Cup group stage. Kataja’s seven-point loss to the Swedish Borås Basket on Tuesday doesn’t mean burying the FIBA ​​Europe Cup group stage dreams, because in the second qualifying match, the Bulgarian Chernomorets Burgas defeated Borås by four points. In light of the results played, a win of at least 11 points in the final match would bring Kataja to the first place. Chernomorets, who played with a really narrow rotation, into two overtimes will certainly suffer from fatigue, because they will play another hard match for less than 20 hours. Their starting lineup played:

Mcconico (47 minutes)
Trocha-Morelos (46 minutes)
Hristo Zahariev (45 minutes)
Smith (40 minutes)
Milen Zahariev (35 minutes)

Kataja lost the first match against Boras in the 4th quarter, scoring only 8 points, but this time in front of a sold out Motonet Arena will give their maximum to use the fatigue in the Bulgarian team.

Trnava enters this match after a great away win against Dunajska Streda. They had a lot of luck and defensive problems were glaring, which was visible in the group stage premiere against Ludogorets 4-0. An additional problem will be the absences of key defender Koša (6/0), midfielder Bukata (5/0) and striker Djuricin (2/2), while defender Štetina (9/0) is doubtful. What can I say for the Turkish giant? They are from another planet at the start of the season and did whatever they wanted on the pitch against any opponent having 14 wins in a row in all competitions with a goal difference of 42:6. The two teams can’t be compared, because Fenerbahce is a “machine gun” and is capable of passing through Slovakia comfortably.