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VaLePa played Berlin in CEV Cup yesterday to stun them and win 3-1 after two hours in the game. They are not set to face SAMPA not even 24 hours later. Key players like Esk, Kunnari and Chouri played that whole match. Chouri did particularly well to finish with 30 points even though he had some cramps. There's not a lot of information on VaLePa's website, only the announcement that players who usually don't get a lot time on the floor will have their chance today. It's not very likely we'll see Esk, Kunnari or Chouri or one of the middle blockers. There is also the issue of motivation. They are in spot two in the table 12 points short of Tiikeririt and have 5 points more than LEK, whom they meet on Sunday. That next game is much more important. SAMPo, on the other hand, are in the race for the spot 5. There are a few teams that are very close, which is why they'll be very motivated today. SAMPO lost to Hurricani 1-3 yesterday after winning 5 games but that's no surprise since their opponents are Top 3 in the Finnish league. VaLePa won both games of the season - 3-2 away and 3-0 home but with Eks, Kunnari and Chouri on the team. They will almost certainly not ply today. It's really not like this will finish in straight sets since VaLePa didn't have it easy even last time. Details

I saw quite a lot of Belgorod's game lately and I can say that they do not deserve to be such heavy favorites today. Let's just think about the horrible performance against Orneburg, the struggle against Ural. I think the french team is better than those. I have no doubt Heynen will do a good job preparing the tactics. The arena will be packed today, Tours are the underdog and that makes them very dangerous. Belgoros equals Muserskiy. he is their driving force but not even him can single-handedly win a match at this level. Tours won't try and win through power, that would be suicide. With a good performances by Konecni and Cupkovic I believe Tours can stun their opponents but I've chosen to bet on the home team getting two sets. Even though the teams have changes quite a lot, Tours didn't get two sets in only one meeting against Belgorod. They did have a better team back then but so did Belgorod, which didn't prevent them from struggling. And they will struggle again. Details

I was surprised by the odds on the match in Verona. Verona are not great, they lost three of the last 4 games, four out of last five home games, and with bad form, they are also having problems with absences of opposite Starovic and middle blocker Zingel who are important players. So the game against Sete is not coming at a good time for them, this weekend they will play at Milan who are improving with each game, but Giani does not have too many rotation options. On the other side, Sete are playing great, they are at the top of the league in France, the team is very confident and they 'live' for games like this one. Over the weekend, they defeated Paris, their best players were Rossard and Moreau who will be key players for the French team today as well. Verona are not a team that has been great this season, they are in a bad form, without two important players and I am convinced Sete can parry them. Based on everything mentioned above, it is hard that the home team can be favorites for 1.10, despite home court advantage, because the Italians are not 'fans' of the European games. If Galatasaray could win a set in Verona, Sete have to do the same thing. Details

I'm trying to find a reason for the average odds at Cannes to be at 1,3 and I can+t find any. They are on a three-match losing run, their performances were horrible and still, the bookmakers thinks they're favorites here. Tour trashed them in the last round by playing an average game. Cannes lost 4 out of the last 5 home games, which means not even the home court advantage means much now. Nantes should have beaten Tours away only 10 days ago but the refs robbed them off that win. Nantes' attacking trio is definitely better than Tours'. The home team haven't had efficiency of over 40% for a while now. Nantes also have good middle blockers who can stand up to Cannes' duo. Let's not forget that this is the third h2h of the season. Nantes won the first two (3-1, 3-2) when Cannes were much better. The home team should not be favorites to such an extent today. I think this is more of a 50-50 game. All the bets at visitors have big value, just like total point over. The odds at handicap should be the odds to Nantes' win, not at them getting two sets. Details

Dynamo embarrassed themselves in Oeanbuhg three days ago, which is why I expect them to be very motivated here. If that is the case, this will be an easy win. The difference in quality is huge, Dynamo won two points more than in the first game while they had a bit 12-point lead after three sets. Orenburg's coach said the wins over Dynamo and Belgorod affected the team and that he doesn't know how they'll do here. I believe Dynamo will want revenge, that they will open fiercely and win this by a total of about 20 points. Details

Narbonne are on a 13-match losing run, Lyon on a 6-game losing run, which says it all about what kind if a match we're in for. Still, I'm sure the home team will win because who else could they win if not Lyon. Lyon are worn out and exhausted, this is their 5th game in 10 days. They lost 0-2 in Paris on Tuesday and lost a very important receiver Aranha. He won't be on the team today today. On top of that, middle blocker Jouffroy and McGiven struggle with injuries as well. They will play today though. Narbonne lost the last 13 matches but they had some good performances, especially home. They managed to get two sets against Lyon home at their worst moments. I expect the home team to do their best as they need the win badly. The fans are expected to cause an atmosphere from hell for the visitors and Lyon cannot be such heavy favorites here. I'm sure Narbonne will end their losing run. For the less courageous among you, I'd recommend the +1,5 handicap at the home team but since two points won't mean much to them, I'll go for a win since it simply has too great a value. Details

Belgorod are shocked by the defeat to feeble Orenburg and are now set to face a much more serious team. Ural put up a good fight to Zenit and got a set. I don't think they're complete underdogs here. Ural have Volkov, who is a player who can stop Muserskiy or at least limit him. As for the rest of the team, I think they're close. Ural's setter is better, Kovalev makes the difference and a lot of is expected from him today. Belgorod are on the road for a week now - this is their 3rd away game. They are definitely not convincing and are now to face a rather serious team capable of stopping Muserskiy. Also, Belgorod's opposite Danilov played at Ural last season and they know him very well. The home team will probably not be given a chance better than this one. For the bravest among you, Ural's win is not a bad option either. Details

A very important game. Ribnca have two straight wins over Radnicki and Nis, but that won't be with much if they lose today. They got a point against Novi Pazar before that. Partizan lost almost all the key players. Only setter Kostic is still there, alongside young inexperienced players. They had some good results but they no team with consistency. A win here would be very important for Kraljevo as it would get them on the same wins record as Partizan but with 5 points more. The match is to take place in the old and small arena due to the FED CUP match between Spain and Serbia, which means the visitors from Belgrade will be faced with a fiery atmosphere. Ribnica should win as everything suggests they will. Details

This is a local derby, and as such it's always uncertain, despite the current shape. Paris is favored like they're playing with a second-league team, and Beauvais are still class above that. The visiting team didn't play bad lately, they deserved at least a point against Chaumont, and they were close to the same against Tours who are in excellent shape and have yet to be crushed. They need the points. I doubt Paris will pulverize them because Rougeyron's team are not the type. The margin is quite low, h2h favors the bet because in eight out of the last ten matches they played at least four sets. Beauvais are uncomfortable opponents for Paris and this smells like 190 points, and five sets wouldn't be a surprise either. Details

Their match between Nantes and Poitiers this season, each team won one. Poitiers will be weakened today. They are without Janic and Demirovic from before and then lost Bjelica to a back injury. The experienced middle blocker is very important for the game and there is no one to step in for him. Nantes are in trouble after three straight defeats. They will be only without Sol. They didn't do badly lately and could have won against Paris. Poitiers are decimated by injuries and this is a perfect chance for the home team to end the losing run. Details

Things are pretty straightforward ahead of the Paris match. The home team need any kind of a win to stay in the race for CEV Cup and since Lugano and Hypo start their games earlier, Paris will have a clearer picture. They recorded both wins home. The first one over Dynamo from Moscow (beat Ziraat easily) and the second one over Friedrichshafen. Drawing comparisons is tough but Paris are very different when playing home. The Turks need a point for the top spots and don't have to rush into anything and risk injuries. The odds at home team's win is too high and somewhat affected by Ziraat's top spot. Let's not forget the Turks got three point through administration. I expected the odds to be close and Paris' win therefore has great value. Details

Alongside with the sets handicap, I'm going to go with a win for PAOK. There will be a lot of chances on Tours and I don't think that will happen at PAOK. Even if Tours were in a much better place now, the odds would not have been realistic. Given the absent players and everything else, I think they are completely off. Details

Tours are without Cupkovic today. Collin will be there as the 12th player, which means Gardien and Bartos will get a chance. Foussard is talking how much Konecni has to play all the time and I think Castard will get a chance after not playing for more than 6 months. This game means nothing to them because they need Trentino to lose in Maaseik today. Nobody believes that will happen. Also, they have a big derby with Sete coming up this weekend. Heynen is very pragmatic and often reduces minutes for his players when he sees fit. PAOK have nothing to play for but they are playing home, which means their motivation will be greater than Tours'. The home court brings out the best in PAOK. In this kind of a situation, when the visitors are with questionable motivation and have an important match coming up in a few days, I'll always go with the home team. PAOK got a set in the first game and play better home overall. The odds at them getting two sets here at too good to be missed out on. Details

The French league is one of the most evened out ones in Europe, and that's why this margin was set wrong. Of course, it ties to the home team's odds, which are low. Montpellier were beaten by Toulouse in the last round, and I think Nantes are more serious and better than Toulouse. Neither are struggling with the injuries, so it looks like this game could be bunkered up on both sides. No need to act clever about this bet, there are no big differences between these two teams, and I think we'll see at least four sets, which should be enough to go over the margin. Details

There's no reason for Halkbank to be favored this much, because their games so far haven't scared anyone. They even struggled against Budva riviera, and considering that this match is "alive", I think the hosts will be fully motivated, and the Turks will be under full pressure. Hypo proved to be a tricky team, they can get to the best 12 in Europe, and I'm sure they can at least give Halkbank a run for their money. The margin is pretty low, especially after they played the Ankara match at 229 points. 180 will suffice today, and that can be done in four sets. Details

Arcada are the fourth team in, this season, very strong Romanian championship with the record of 8-3 after 11 games. They have put together an interesting team with Despotovski (Macedonia), De Prao who has Champions League experience, Russian Sysoev (Lokomotiv Novosibirsk), Venezuelan player Marquez and a few Romanian national team members. They are strong at home, they only lost to Ploiesti at the start of the season, but they were not complete then. Lyon have suffered two straight defeats in the national championship and for them the Saturday's game against Sete is more important than the away game in Romania. Coach Chalendar decided to leave Nikolov in France, but during the layover in Munich, receivers Diachkov and Aranja didn't not board the plane for Romania because their visas expired. So the French team will be without their top three hitters and most experienced players, and the attack will be led by young Ben Tara, Mitev and Utia. WIth the absence of the experienced trio, the quality and experience are on the side of the Romanian team and I believe they will turn that into a win. We should also, for a smaller stake, try to bet on Arcada's 3-0 win which is paid great. Details

The market is opposite of what I have expect and it's hard to understand why. Lyone are an away team, and the second one are in front of their fans; the best hosts of the league with 5-0 record and only three lost sets. Can Cannes be the favorites today? If you ask me, no. They're average in away matches, with a 3-3 record and a three-game losing run. For Radic the season is over, the diagnosis is the rupture of the Achilles's heel and coach Kolakovic said that he's the best player they can't replace. That's no demagogy because Radic is the best blocker of the league (41 blocks) and third by efficiency in Cannes. There are also stories of financial troubles. Lyon are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the club today, and them getting defeated doesn't fit into this picture. Details

Everything is clear from the preview, Poitiers is without key offensive players, Poey (232 points), Demirovic (90) and Janic (108), and they don't have substitutions for all of them. Poey will be substituted by one of the opposites, and libero Herbert will probably play as a receiver with Duhagon, and I cannot see a way in which they could achieve something tonight. The home team need points, all key players were together and they should play with their strongest lineup. Current balance of power is such that the away team have nothing to hope for, Paris would be the favorites even if they were complete, and this way this should be a one-way game. All options on the home team seem great, I decided for the points handicap because it seems too low by at least 2-3 points. Another decent option is the bet on 3-0 for Paris, while the win and handicap -1.5 seem like safe bets. Details

The Derby is being played in Sete and with that this game is predestined for a lot of points. However, the margin we have is low so the bet at the over of points imposes itself. Both teams are in great form, they have a similar playing style, and it is unlikely that we will see only three sets tonight. The margin is set so that they can go over it in four sets with average amount of points, and considering current form, I expect an even game which could be decided by 2-3 balls. The margin should be higher by at least three points. Details

I agree that France are the favorites here but the odds at their win cannot be set at these odds. The bookies seem to suggest that Poland are just a bit better than Bulgaria or Serbia, which cannot be more false. Poland are defending world champions and didn't secure a spot at OI at World Cup just because they were out of luck. The last 4 h2h (6 out of the last 7) matches between Poland and France were decided in the fifth set. I expect a close match, five sets are a very realistic outcome and the margin is ridiculously low. Even four average sets can cover it. Details