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Terville's goal for the second consecutive year is to get through to play-off. They're in spot seven on the table, on a 2-2 record and now face the newly-promoted Vannes, who recorded one win so far (last round over Venellesaway in five sets). I think Terville have better quality than Vannes when it comes to their individuals. They have acquired some good signings this season, and had some good one from before. It's an international team that beat Istres last week in five sets. Vannes lost to Istres 3.1 home in the beginning of the season. Terville are better after four rounds, with visitors marking the avoidance of relegation as their main goal this season. Terveullehave more players to choose from and there's the fact they're playing home as well. Both teams played Cup matches last week - Vannes won second-tier B Evreux in five sets, while Terville lost to top-table second-tier Nancy. Nancy are a very good team determined to get promoted this season. Terville didn't go all out in that match, with coach Dascalu reshuffling the team. Vannes' match with B Evreux lasted for almost 2,5 hours, which is bound to have some effect on the team. I think Terville are heavier a favorite than the bookmakers suggest. They are more experiences, individually better, and have been performing better so far. They are in a better shape ahead of this match and struggle with no injuries, unlike Vannes. I think they will win today. Details

I think Vilsbiburg are still favored too much based on the previous seasons. I don't think they're this strong, as shown by their results so far. They lost to Wiesbaden and Dresden in three sets, struggled against Aachen, weren't convincing against Kopenick and Thuringen. I don't expect them to be super convincing and win today, so I'll go for a game with the number of points with over the margin which is set too low. Hamburg left the disastrous season behind them. They built a new team and are playing better with each game. They still oscillate a lot, but they took a set from every opponent so far. That helps me to choose this bet, if they could do it against Schweriner, they can do it here. They kept the weakened Postdam against the ropes in the last round, but didn't finish them off. I think they can create problems for Vilsbiburg at least in one set, and that should be enough for this bet to pass. In all the matches this season, Hamburg went over this margin, and Vilsbiburg didn't go under it in any game so far. The alternative is a counter handicap with a small number of point for Hamburg. Details

Schwering are on a perfect record but haven't played a single top-league team. They now meet Stuttgart, who are beyond any doubt the toughest opponent they met so far. Schwering lost a set in 3 out of 4 games with the bottom-league teams and also lost a set to Hamburg in the Cup. They also lost a set in Belgium, which is a clear sign they're tired.
Stuttgart are good, well-rested and ready to take on Schwering without any pressure. It's a good team that had a great pre-season. They're on a three-game winning run at the moment, having beaten Hamburg more easily than Schwerin, Thuringen the round before in straight sets and managed to get a set in Dresden the first round, when still weren't at this level. They's no reason for that not happening today. Schwerin and tired and lost a set in 5 out of 6 games this season. Details

This bet is the result of Cannes' poor start to the season. It's no surprise since they changed the whole team in between the seasons. They are not at their previous seasons' level and that was quite visible very early on, as they lost to CSM Bucharest at a tournament they hosted. The defeat to Nantes is another proof they're not as good as before. It will take time for Cannes to get organized and until that happens, remain a good choice to bet against.
Piacenza changed a lot as well, but some of their players spent the whole summer together playing for their national team (Dirick and Van Hecke), while others seem to be doing well too. Supercup win and two championship wins prove they're in better shape than Cannes, they have more experience and on top of everything, Cannes will be under pressure since this is one of the most important games for them. The Italian team should be able to take advantage of Cannes' shortcomings to record a valuable away win. Details

I agree with Crvena Zvezda's coach, quality really is on their side. They have players who've even had experience in the Serbia's senior national team, and almost everyone else went through the junior selections. They have Champions League experience, with tough matches almost every week, and a wider roster than Kamnik, whose only advantage is the home court. However, this is not something alien to the away team, as they beat Železničar away last weekend in front of an audience of 1200 fans. Kamnik will be lucky if they put together half as much today.
The home team are still looking for their game, with less matches played, and are weaker compared to last season. They had a lot of changes, and American Barnes started to play only in the last round, so it will take her some time to click with the team. Crvena Zvezda definitely seem like a better team, they have more experience and will return from this away match with a victory. Details

Galatasaray are not even close to being at their level from last seasons, with foreigners Meijners, Bosetti and Centoni as team leaders and two players who were there last year. These odds at Galatasaray winning are probably result of their previous results, but they cannot count on Centoni today, which will force coach Barbolini to reshuffle the line-up. Meijners will probably play the opposite position which will weaken Galatasaray's reception. The bookies are overrating them today. Le Cannet are a good team, Lichtman and Davis won gold at WC with the American national team. Brcic is playing with the Croatian national team, Fedele, Orle, and Kloster with the French. They are a good team, maybe even better than they were last year when they reached Challenge cup quarter finals. They lost to Besiktas, winning the first leg game home in straight sets, and losing the second one in Turkey in straight sets. The golden set decided Galatasaray would reach the next round. The French will be under no pressure here, they don't seem bad, while Galatasaray isn't as trustworthy without Centoni. I think we shouldn't miss out on a set for the home team bet here. Details

Stuttgart have a better roster than Thuringer and that's without question. After some excellent performances in the preparation period, they're still struggling in the championship. They failed against Kopenicker in the last round and because of that Thuringer is set as a favorite in this match. I can't agree with that, I expect a real match from Stuttgart's side this time. A better job from Renkema than last week, as well as from Malevic. A stable reception with which the offense will do an easier job. Thuringer have opened the championship quite well, played a good two sets against Schweriner, beat Hamburg. What can be said about them is they oscillate, they have ups and downs, so Stuttgart isn't here without chances. I will bet on the away team here because they have a better roster, a longer bench, and I expect them to finally play through. This is a meeting in which they will try to pull out from the unexpected defeat in the last round; at the very least this is a 50-50 match so here we have a value bet. Details

Munster have an identical lineup as the last year, more experienced and they play better together than they did last year. They're a tough nut at home to anyone, in the 12 games at home last season, they only lost two. One to Wiesbaden in the fifth set, and they also won in five. I believe they can do the same again today, which means win two sets in this game. If they could do it last season, no reason it wouldn't happen again today. They have a good pre-season behind them, they won't lack motive in their first home game. Wiesbaden got them eliminated in the quarterfinal last year, and this is a chance to get even, in part. Munster definitely work better as a team than Wiesbaden who have Pettke, but will definitely need some time to get better team-wise. Details

It's clear Hamburg aren't the force, but what's Berlin then? They're really a junior national team for Germany, seventh at the cadet EC. They've got talent, but definitely not experience. They're a group of 18-year-olds, and only six of them - the rest of the team are even younger. If they outplay Hamburg today, then the home team can really start to wonder what to expect from this season. Hamburg started the championship with a defeat against Suhl, a new defeat would shake them up even further. The home team's coach takes the role of the favorite on purpose, he knows who'll his players will face. His statements show he trusts his players, he's aware that they'd ruin their reputation if they lose here. They all live from volleyball, they're a lot more experienced than their opponents, they have a name. Two seasons ago, Germany's junior national team played the national championship, too. They were the fourth cadets in EC, had even better players than this generation. They collected experience and some minor results. They only won seven sets and had one win. It took them three or four months to really get their first set in the season. Hamburg's defeat would really be a big surprise here, and a disappointment after starting the new season ambitiously, after the last one which isn't worth remembering. They can get their fans back only by winning, and today's win is a must. I believe they'll get it with 3-0, or 3-1, a clear win should be a sure bet. Details

Dynamo Krasnodar has build a dream team for this season. They're the most valuable team in the championship, there's no doubt about it. I think they're going to start the championship successfully to justify the great investments made ahead of the season. Great new signings Koseleva and Fa Garay, together with Sokolova, who has not been on the national team over the summer, will be their leaders on the court today. Kazan won both the Champions League and the Russian league last season, but lost Larson, their second most important player. Moroz, the leading blocker, left as well. I'd say they're at lest 20% weaker than last year and Krasnodar at least 30% stronger. They will be motivated today, with new coach Usakov replacing Selinger, who was mostly blamed for Krasnodar not being able to do more in previous seasons. Krasnodar are much better this season than in any previous years and I believe them to prove it today by getting the three points. Details

The start of the season is always a good time to bet against the heavy favorites. Dresden, being the defending champions, are a great favorite here, but there is no particular reason for that. Setter Appitz left and with some experts claim that the setter make up for half of the volleyball team, will be missed. Substitutes joined, but Dresden are at around 80% now, which the defeat to Munster in the last preseason match clearly proves. They are under pressure with the fans expecting a starting win. On the other hand, Stuttgart feel no pressure today. They had a brilliant preseason which gave them an extra boost of confidence, just like the win over Coneglian in Italy. The team underwent a lot of changes but they worked hard for two months to get the new and the old players working together. They have the Dutch player Renkema, Croatian Malevic, Hungarian Sandor and Brazilian Tomazela. The spirits are high on this international team, they're good and even won here last season in March with a team that was not this good. I'm going to bet on them winning a set today with the stakes higher than usual. Small-points counter-handicap is a good option as well, just like points over. Details

Turkey's win over Russia made the bookmakers set the odds a bit too low for their win against the Netherlands. It's the meeting with no pressure of winning for the both teams, which means we're in for a good match. 4 sets should be played today, and the margin at total number of points is low enough to bet on an over here. Turkey have had gone over this margin in only one of the matches at this margin. It was against Serbia (176 points). The Dutch won a set against Brazil, had to get at least one against Serbia but failed in the end. Turkey are not as good as either of those team, and the Dutch team can definitely win a set here at leas. The odds at that are around 1.35. The preparation games suggest they could even win this, since they beat Turkey twice home back then. One of those matches were settled in five sets, the other one in 4 (175 points were scored in the latter). Their official head-to-head meeting at last year's EC, that was settled after five sets, is another reason for this bet. Details

Honestly, I expected lower odds on Germany to win. Preparation matches prior to this championship in which the Germans demolished Belgium three times, are the main factor for this bet. Those were the final tests prior to the championship, and Germany seemed to be doing way better than Belgium. They never lost a set, and won two with a 24 small points difference, and one with 21. Both teams started all matches with their strongest lineups. Compared to those, Germany are missing Karg here, while Belgium arrived without Aelbrecht, whose absence is more important, as Belgium are not performing very well in Italy and have so far left less of an impression than Germany. Much depends on how Van Hecke performs, which a great coach such as Guidetti will be able to counter. I don't expect him to change the roster today either. Germany was expected to do more here, perhaps even fight for a medal, which is why the coach said they will go for a win in the two remaining matches, to improve the poor impression they left up to now. Germany beat Belgium in important matches last season, while the Belgians openly say they cannot remember the last time they beat the Germans. On top of all that, the match will be played in Trieste, where Germany have already played two matches, while Belgium are arriving from Bari and had to spend part of yesterday on the trip. The Germans won seven matches in a row against Belgium, beating them when they performed much better than today, and I see no reason they should not today. The points handicap is really small if one considers the friendly matches played less than a month ago. If you don't want to tally up points in the end, play Germany to win on an accumulation bet. Details

Turkey could have done better in the group stage. Their opening match with Serbia was their worst performance. The one against the favorite for the title Brazil was the best one. They are clearly getting better by the match. This is a very important game for Turkey, they have prepared for it for three days, they will do their best to win because a defeat would leave them with no chance of reaching the next round. They played the US in August to beat them 3-2 home. Neither teams had all the top players at their disposal. The margin at total number of points is set quite low. To go over it, Turkey need a set here. Americans had a successful group stage but definitely faced easier opponents. The odds at Turkey winning a set are around 1.50, which makes this over a good bet. When it comes to better opponents, the Americans beat only Korea and the Netherlands in straight sets during the summer, and Turkey are better than both of those. Details

In my opinion we have value in betting on Croatia here. I honestly expected them as favorites here. They beat the Dominican Republic 3-0 a few days ago in Maribor, the Dominicans won the extra set with substitutes playing on both sides. It's true it was a friendly match, but it has merit in my opinion. Croatia played without Jerkov, an important player, with Brčić as the setter and Ušić, who subs for Jelić, as opposite. Dominican republic played with their strongest roster, missing only Martinez, who is a substitute anyway. Going on, Croatia have more individual quality, and the only position where the Dominicans have a stronger player is opposite. I'd say they're on par in terms of setters, and the other positions favor Croatia. If the Croatians took a set against Italy yesterday they'd be favorites here, but they stagnated instead and their mind was mor on this match as the game drew on. Croatia did not do their best yesterday, I believe they will today. They have the experience and more individual quality. These quotas are party the result of Dominican Republic beating Germany in a match where the Germans were way below their usual level. The Dominican Republic are a team who can beat anyone when they are inspired enough and have their day, but they have big ups and downs. I think they played their best here against Germany. In closing, if Croatia play as they should, their opponents will not have much of a say in the match. Details

The difference between these two teams is massive - compared to the States, Mexico are only beginning to learn how to play volleyball. The US are here to win a medal, and I expect a furious start form them - a game similar to the one they played in Zagreb against Croatia on Saturday. USA won the first set 25-17, and in order for this bet to be successful, they need to limit Mexico to less than 17 points. That should not be a problem since Mexico are one of the weakest teams in Italy. The Americans beat them 3-0 ( 26-9, 25-15, 25-11) in the continental cup last year. Mexico, unlike today, even had receiver Isiorda at their disposal in that match. They should not be able to win more than 15 points in any of the sets today, especially because it's the opening game. Because of that, I'm opting for the points handicap in the first set. Mexico lost the first set at Grand Prix 25-14 to the Czech Republic who are nowhere near the States quality-wise. They lost to Dominican Republic in their final match and of the championship 4-0. I really don't see a way for them to win more than 15 points in the first set here. To opt for a first set under is a good choice as well, the win by 12 or more points with bet365 is paid well too. Details

There is no doubt that Croatia are the favorites here and that they should win. However, Argentina are not a bad team at all as their entire first squad is playing in Europe. They are an experienced squad that has been together for a long time and Croatia are not facing an easy game as the opener. The first set should be particularly tight. Early time of match will not suite either team and this was visible in Croatia`s recent match against Canada in which they struggled a lot. Argentina are at the same level as Canada, if not better and this match was played in this time. That is one of the reasons for this bet. I expect both teams to be nervous, Argentina played a good match against a top-division Italian team and that shows they are in good form. The margin for number of points in the first set is pretty low and that makes it the bet to start this WC with. Details

First of all, there are only 5 days left until the start of the WC so there will be no compromise, even though this is a friendly game. Both teams will probably use their best line-up, Croatia certainly will. Three games in Belgrade ended with the same results 3-1 for Serbia. Croatia put up solid resistance and I believe they can get another set. I don't think they can win by 3-0 so this over is the best choice for me. The margin is quite low and they went over it on all three occasions in Belgrade (191, 195, 177). In the third match, Croatia fell apart in the last set due to fatigue and Serbia won by 25-14. I don't expect this today, Croatia are ready for this match. They had a day off yesterday, the training sessions were shorter and they should be able to match Serbia. Another thing, Draš center is Croatia's home court as they spent almost two months here this summer and this will play its own part. Details

This has to be played, as Netherlands are unjustifiably underrated here. Less than a month and a half ago they easily beat Greece, and some might say the Greeks did not care back then. For the Croatian junior team that was an extremely important match in the third round of qualifications, as a win by Netherlands eliminated them from this EC. They watched the match in the arena, and held not grudge against the Greeks. The Greek team played to the max and fought, but the Dutch were too strong that day, destroying Greece with their blocking and unpleasant serves. Netherlands won a total of 23 small points more in three sets, so it's no wonder their selector is saying he knows what to do to win against Greece. The Match-up here favors the Dutch, whose block and serve will be a problem for the Greeks today. Compared to their last match Greece have Psoma this time, and seem to be in better form, but let me repeat, the was Netherlands play does not suit them at all. There will be no shortage of motive on either side, as the Dutch secure the elimination round, while Greece may advance even if they lose, as the Czech will hardly managed to beat Serbia. Taking all that into account, the Dutch have much more of a chance here than the bookmakers give them, and anything above 2.00 on Netherlands is worth playing for a smaller stake. Details

China will be missing their best player Zhu Ting, as well as captain Hui Ruoqi, first setter and also best blocker. We could therefore say four of the most important players for China will not be playing against Belgium today. At the start of summer, China lost a set at home in each of the two friendly matches against Belgium, while they were at top strength. Today they will be in neutral Japan, Belgium are in good form and can play a relaxed match as they achieved a great deal by just qualifying to the final tournament. They have played China before, Van Hecke is in great form. Against a weakened Chine they should get a set, the stake could be even higher, but Belgians adjusting to Asian time is a bit problematic. Still, the July match in Asia should help the Belgians with that as well. Details