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I was in a dilemma as to what to pick in this duel. The home team are highly motivated and a typical home team, who calculated (or their coach did) that in case they win this match they have a 90% chance (interestingly :) ) to get among the top 8 teams at the end of autumn, automatically getting to the playoff in the Spanish cup, so they need this victory. Santiago on the other hand played a home match against Inter Movistar in the King's Cup this week, which certainly did not help their shape for today. Both teams are 'under' teams so to speak, limited in offensive abilities, but I believe Peniscola are much more motivated to score and that they will charge right away. Santiago scored a win at home last weekend against the 'Fishermen' from Burela, and are a bit more relaxed prior to Valencia. However, they are far from safe in terms of relegation, their already shallow roster is having a hard time handling this rhythm. This is why, instead of the under for this match, and Peniscola leading at halftime, I picked home team's handicap, which I'm hoping they'll cover. Of course, a clean win is also good combo material, but I leave the choice to you. Details

We have played this same pick last week, and we'll play it today. This time one opponent is equal (Burela), while the other one is an offensively weaker team than the one last weekend (Santiago). No great philosophy here. Santiago's coach, Santi Valladares, bases his game on defense because he doesn't have great offense quality. Also, Santiago are in the danger zone, each point counts and I don't believe in some offensive rhapsody and risk-taking. On the other hand, Burela are in the "cup zone". The away coach praises the host, but it also probably counting on point(s) in Compostela, and he will do anything to get them. Details

Azkar Lugo are, as expected, bottom table. The (too) young team and lack of quality are a reason they still haven't recorded a single point. They now meet a super-experienced Navarra who dropped two points after being in a 4-1 lead last weekend. They now need to make amends against Lugo or the won't make it in the Spanish Cup finals. Navarra need the three points and will be very motivated to get them. I think they will win and cover this spread. Details

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This game brings a huge stake. The eight teams playing the Spanish cup end up on the first eight places of LNFS after the first part of the championship. There are less than four rounds left till the end, and each point matters. Burela had a terrible start of the season, but came close to the goal. They're only two points behinds today's opponent who had a great start, but didn't do so well in the last rounds because of a tough schedule (Barcelona, Inter). This is a game between two "under" teams, if there is such a thing. Burela players are known to be uncomfortable hosts, as shown in their statistics, while the guests are one of the best defenses of the league.
The home team's coach Juanlu points out the importance of this game - It's been a good, calm week. The only negative is Isi's injury, but we found out about it on Tenerife already. The big difference between us and Jean is the bench width, but Fabian and Borja are out for them, and unlike us, they have more options with the rotation.
All in all, I expect a tough game. I expected the margin to be 2.5 at the half-time, so this one, 3, was a pleasant surprise. The chances of the half-time ending with four or more goals are very slim, so even in the worst case scenario, we'll have a void, even though I expect a low-scoring game, so the total number of goals 6.5 @1.90 is recommended. But, because of the situation with the goalies-players, I'd always rather take under at the half-time. Details

A game that will decide who goes on to the Final Four should have plenty of everything except goals. The hosting Sporting failed to get in a position where a draw gets them through in this match and are the underdog here. They need a victory, but they know better than to rush to it. Although young, Sporting strategist Nuno Dias is too experienced to try to beat the opponents, led by Spanish mastermind Jesus Velasco, in an open game. Both teams do better on defense than offense, with elite goaltenders (Luis Amado, Jesús Herrero, João Benedito), and an important match like this points towards an under as the primary option. Everything is known in both teams, those are mostly Spanish and Portuguese national team members, and one will have to dig deep to get each goal. Whatever comes up, I doubt we'll see more than 6 goals, although the option of putting a player on the goal makes under a very shaky option to play in futsal. Therefore, the stake will be a unit lower. Details

Varna are out of their depth here, proven by their first two matches in which they barely managed to get a shot at the goal against Inter Movistar and scored two from their own half while Sporting were trying to inflate their scoring ration against them. Unlike Varna, Charleroi actually played against both Sporting and Inter. They scored three against Sporting and managed to parry the home team, while against Inter the phenomenal Luis Amado saved a few amazing shots that were dead ringers. Much depends on motivation today, but quality will play a part as well. Varna's best player in the Main Runda (Celsinho) didn't even arrive to Portugal as he left the team a few months ago. The only three players who can parry the Belgians are Serbs Kostić and Stanković and the member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team Slaven Novoselac, who is playing just in the Futsal Cup. The shape of the Bulgarian team is in question too, while the quality is firmly with the Belgians, who have four highly experienced Brazilians, super-cool in the finishing moments and I expect them to wave a proper goodbye to the Futsal Cup. Details

Duarte's team was badly defeated yesterday, but this is a whole different thing. I was surprised with Paris and their performance yesterday, in a good way. They allowed their Serbian opponent one goal in the very finish and that was pretty much it. The French, or better yet, the Brazilians, proved they deserve to be here. They have neither a great choice of players nor the quality that 'Kazakhstanis' have, but they have experience that will enable them to stand up to Kairat. Unlike Nikars, they have top-quality goal keeper on the team, who, just like opponents' goal keeper, isn't afraid of getting in the other half of the pitch. That will be another way for them to try and keep possession and to lose by as many goals as possible. Details

I expected 1.35-1.40 at Chrudim but the bookies offered 1.5 and online bookies 1.66 for their win. I have no choice but to go with that with higher stake. Slovaks won the close game against Azer yesterday after Azer pulled the goal keeper out to allow Slov-Matic to score to goals.

Churdim failed badly yesterday. They had high expectations of this competition to record the opening defeat to Dina from Moscow. Dina are head and shoulders about every other team in the group. The team that has been together for a few seasons is clearly too tough a challenge for everyone else. Churdim will try and make amends for yesterday's failure against the Slovaks. Slov-Matic's top player is a Czech, while the Czech team have a number of Brazilians, which makes them three times more valuable on the market than Slov-Matic. They acquired one new player just or this competition and despite losing yesterday, should be able to win this. Details

The opening game of Fustsal Cup elite group taking place in Padrubice, Czech Republic. It is supposed to be played in Chrudim, but the arena was not big enough to meet UEFA's standards. The Czech team let will try and play a draw with the Russian champions to keep on hoping for the Final Four spot. Churdim's coach Daniel from Spain knows his team will have a lot more chance to get to Final Four if his side remain undefeated today. I expect a tough game with a small number of attempts. The surface is quite slow, suiting the Czechs more than favorite Russians, who have been complaining about the surface quite a lot. Russia struggle with some injuries and we still don't know if all of their players will be on the team today. Details

The reason the odds changed like this is the fact that the bookies realized Araz are left with only one Brazilian a bit too late. It's quite a change from a team that was full of foreigners the last few seasons. Laercio Buranello who is now a citizen of Azerbaijian is the only one left and he will be my main reason for this pick. When the odds were published this morning, the counter handicap at SlovMatic was +2.5 but the market reacted promptly to bring the odds closer together by now. I think SlovMatic are a favorite to some extent, but this won't be a one sided win, on the contrary. Araz are very experienced even like this, both teams will rely on defenses and that is our chance. SlovMaric don't have many offense choices, they are forced to be patient and wait for their chances. Since this is only the first game, I don't expect any attacking brilliance today. The surface is slower, which will make creating attempts more difficult. I therefore believe this under should do if neither team decides to pull the goal keeper out too soon. Details

I cannot stay away from this. Yamal have tremendous momentum, as coach Vladimir Kuznetsov seems to have finally put things together after the team were searching for their game earlier this season. They're undefeated in the last seven games, and the last match was a win against the currently top ranked team of the championship, Sibiryak. Trust me, this will be much closer game than the odds suggest. The home Jekaterinburg team have a big name and tradition, but are far from their glory days. Another unfavorable factor is that they just came back from a difficult trip, the first round of the Eremenko Cup in Teplice, where they played three difficult 2x25min games in three days. A young team such as they must show that, at least through fatigue, if not through mental stress. My pick today are the rested away team who had time to calmly prepare and wish to continue a great series. Details

The Grand Prix used to be a much greater and better-quality competition, but lack of funding reduced it to the smallest number of participants ever. There are only two groups made up of 3 teams each, which is forcing Brazil to play every day. They beat Vietnam 8-1 yesterday in a game that was a warm-up for today, but I can't claim they've done brilliantly, the convincing win in spite. I'm not saying Colombia will beat them but a few things suggest counter-handicap to be the best choice. First of all, Brazil's sent their B team to play the Grand Prix. Their C team played the Intercontinental Futsal Cup in Kuwait recently and that team might even be better than this one, which is made up mostly of players from the Brazilian league. Falcao is in the line up, but he spends more time entertaining the spectators with his brilliant moves than scoring. Secondly, no matter how weak an opponent the Vietnamese are, Brazil had to use up some of their energy to beat them. Finally, Brazil would always have a 3 or 4-goal difference in the greatest competitions, even when with the best possible team. That is why I think we should take advantage of this. Sadly, I couldn't find any information regarding the Colombian team ahead of this game, but given the fact even a win by one goal would see Brazil get through to the next round if Colombia play at least a draw with Vietnam, I think this calls for higher stake. The bet is available with Marathon at +3 margin, which could also a good choice, but with lower stake. Details

I fail to understand why the odds are set like this. The book makers are clearly influenced by Nikars' win over Kairat, who underestimated the Lativian team, allowing them to make a comeback after taking a 5-2 lead. The 'Czech' Baltiforca, who host these three rounds and like so many other teams are lead by Brazilians, meet the Latvians today.
On the other hand, Riga now have only two foreigners on the team - Portuguese Arnald and former Portuguese national team coach Duarte.
After playing a draw with the mighty Tulpar the first round, Balticflora lost to better Sinar 3-6. They are doing great in the Czech championship, currently holding top spot in the table. Since they have only one proper opponent in the Czech Republic, Eremenko Cup is a great chance for the team to get ready for those matches.
Home team coach Giva was angry and disappointed after the defeat to Sinara. He want to win today and I think the odds should be reversed because of the fact they're playing home and because of their quality. I think these odds at double chance bet call for higher stakes. Details

The Eremenko Cup is taking place in Teplice today once again, with teams from Czech Republic, Latvia, Russia and Kazakhstan participating. Third round game between two teams from Kazakhstan will be played today. Kairat and Tulpar are great rivals, but following a shock defeat to Nikars, possibly the weakest team here, I expect the former European champions to respond. There aren't many player from Kazakhstan on either teams, with Brazilians, Russians and Ukrainians making up most of them. One thing is sure though, no matter how much Tulpar invest in their team, they are still not at Kairat's level.
This mini-league is extremely important for Kairat, being a rare chance for them to play top-level clubs, what with their league being less than competitive, and to prepare for the elite stage of Futsal Cup. They were definitely not expected to lose to Nikars and a convincing win over their rivals Tulpar is therefore expected today. Kairat's coach especially, after causing the defeat to Nikars. He decided for an approach different from Kairat's usual game style with a goal keeper-player constantly in the game. On the other hand, Tulpar had a good start, having played a draw with the home team. They went on to beat Tyumen from Russia, but the game with Kairat will be something completely different. I expect a great match and Kairat's usual performance that will see them win by at least two goals. Details

The Spanish futsal first league have had a really tough week. After an active weekend, they had the Copa del Rei on the menu for Tuesday/Wednesday, with the better teams even travelling to distant destinations. This includes these two teams as well. Today's away team took the bus to Western Spain against Saintiago de Compostela. After a very hard match (5-5), the outcome was decided with a penalty shootout, they went back to Navarra and the very next day took another long trip, this time to face Levante in Valencia.
The club webpage says the team managed to hold just a recuperation training and had massage treatments, and that those are obviously not the best way to prepare such an important match.
Both teams are both playoff contenders and Cup of Spain contenders as Levante are at eight spot closely followed by Navarra, so the stakes are high.
Levante played away in Sevilla against a Real Betis, team big in name but small in quality. Levante coach Jose Escrich spread around the play time, obviously focusing on the coming match.
All this points to fatigue playing a big role on both sides. On the other hand, both teams base their game on defense. As this is an important match and both teams will start with more caution, I'll go for halftime under, cause I think these two won't score more than 2 goals in the first half. Details