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Trentino had an away game against Macerata but it was visible they had their mind set on the game against Belgorod. But, the worst thing happened to them as their best player Sokolov got injured and this fact largely changes the power ratio in this game. Even though Belgorod were solid favorites, they've now become an absolute favorite, at least in this game. The Russians played the Cup last weekend, they won it be beating the other competitors and those were the best clubs in Russia - Novosibirsk, Zenit and Dynamo. They allowed no team to take a set and that's just icing on their great form as they have been defeated only once in last 25 games. They have 14 consecutive home wins and they are expected to continue this run today. Trentino struggled against Macerate with the reception and God only knows what might happen when Muserski and Grozer get the ball, the players who won the first two spots for the fastest serve in the Cup. Sokolov's absence is not just a handicap in offense, but for serve and block as well. His replacement Szabo is not the same caliber and there will be many problems against the high Russian block. Travica has been a great organizer of Belgorod's offense lately and coach Shipulin said he expects a great performance from his team, which means they should cover this handicap as Trentino are not the same team without Sokolov. A good option is set handicap (-2.5) on Belgorod but it has already lost its value. An alternative is under of points for both teams (Belgorod 75.5, Trentino 61.5) offered by Bet 365. You can take that one for one unit less. Details

A typical bet when these two teams are playing, and it's even more obvious today for a number of reasons. The stats tell you this will be a tough game. Siena concede 71,3, and Reggiana 72,6 points per game, and Reggiana also concede 76,3 per away game. Siena are at 77,3 offensively, and Reggiana 76,9, but Siena scored only 70,3 per game in the last three matches. It's clear how much of a blow Hackett's leaving was, since he left, they score really low (66, 68, 75, 56, 69 in the last five). Reggiana failed defensively lately, and they've lost the games right away, so it's clear they have to play defense. Considering this is a play-offs battle, both had defeats lately, and they base their game on tough defenses, I see about 140 points being scored here. The locals set the 146,5 margin, which is also worth taking for the same stake. Details

This is a match between two teams with an equal number of points and the direct rivals for the play-offs. Both teams are outside of the Top 8, but they still have a long way to go before the season ends. Caserta had a big offensive crisis in the last two rounds, scoring 57 and 64 points against teams whose defenses weren't that great. There's a reason why they're the worst offensive team of the league, with 74,3 points per game. Their defense is still pretty good, and their games often end with a low number of points. Pistoia surprised everyone, they have athletic and strong Americans, just like Caserta. They aren't brilliant in the offense either, but they can play the defense well. They can't impose their rhythm in the away games, so they always adjust to the home team. Caserta will definitely try to slow things down today, and win with their defense, so the margin set here is not even a near miss. Details

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Reggiana and Avellino play a game that will decide which team secures the Cup. Even though this should be a suspenseful match, I see Reggiana winning and with more than the handicap set. Menetti said he doesn't get why players play like they're scared in the away games, and on their own pitch, they look like a team that can charge for the very top of the league. They have 6-0 ratio in their own court, defeated everyone so far, Siena +8, Caserta +7, Pistoia +11, Bologna +10, Cremona +18 and Venezia +20. Avellino have 2-5 ratio in the away games, and they didn't show they can be a team that can keep up throughout the whole game. Reggiana concede 66 points at home, score 71, Avellino score 71 in the away games, and concede 80, and you can see a big difference there already. Lakovic, Dean and Richardson have a tough matchup against Ciniciarini, Bella/Kaukenas and White, and Silins, Cervi and Brunner can match Ivanov and Thomas with their height. I believe Reggiana will continue their great games in front of their fans. Details

This game is coming at a very bad time for Siena. They lost Hackett, who was their best player, and their other point guard Rochestie left a bit later too. Haynes and Janning arrived to the team, but there was not much time to fine tune them with the others, as coach Crespi himself admitted after the Varese game. They managed to win, but it was not a very convincing display. Green dropped in form, and they don't have many players, apart from Carter and Hunter, who can be effective on the offense. Khimki, on the other side, are in top form, with 18 consecutive victories, among which an away win vs CSKA too. Kurtinaitis did a great job assembling the team, with a balance of paint and perimeter, and they are an Euroleague level crew right now. Names such as Koponen, Popović, Davis, Monya, Augustine, Gelebale, Green, Lončar, and Vyaltsev are too much for Siena right now. Details

The only good thing at Pasaro is their center Anosike, who is best scorer and rebound leader. Since Triani is out for the rest of the season, they will have only one point guard for this game - Pecile. It was quite clear how he's doing in the last round, they were constantly behind and he recorded only four assists. Young, who fell short of expectations, is said to be leaving, but the shortage of players is preventing the club from letting him go. Brindisi are back on track following the Avellino and Siena wins. They have to keep it up to be among the best teams. They fired first choice center Aminu because he didn't do as expected, and Chiotti from Milan joined. No one at Pesaro can stop Dyson, which will be Brindisi's great advantage. Pesaro will struggle with Snaer and James as well. They're physically strong and great defense vise. If Todic and Zerini manage to stop Anosike, Brindisi should win today, the rest of Pesaro's team is just not at the right level. Even they admit that they can win today only if they do great and the visiting team does badly. Details

This is the derby of this round and we can expect a tight game. The truth is that Cantu have a 7-0 score at home but those wins came against Cusina in their squad. He was gone in the last round and the weak Montegranaro were dangerously close. Now they're facing Reggiana who are playing better and better and are in great form. They've put up a great resistance against Brindisi, Sassari and Roma but they didn't manage to get a win. Since then, the experienced Kaukenas was brought in and he fit into the team very well and is a great addition from the bench. White has recovered after his injury and is completely ready while Brunner and Cervi will surely make use of the hole in the paint and if they play the right defense, Reggiana will cover this handicap and even win this one. Details

I wrote this very same tip for the EC a while ago and the margin hasn't changed significantly since. Slovenia got a shocking 3-1 in and they didn't lose a set in a single game they've played. Serbia played very poorly yesterday, they underestimated their opponents but they said that a four-month break took its toll. They didn't play any games during their preparations and this is a handicap for them here. The Slovenians have had real preparations and picked themselves up after losing a set yesterday, particularly thanks to Urnaut. He is more of a psychological advantage, but they have enough players to carry their game. Today we could see another great battle, and if the game were not played in Niš, the stakes would have been higher. Details

Portugal stopped their game after the first set yesterday, and that cost them. It wasn't a bad show, but the Slovenians served and blocked great in the rest of the game. On the other hand, the Macedonians are saying they surprised themselves, Gjorgiev spent a lot of energy for his 24 points, but considering that Ristoski basically has no replacement, we'll hardly be seeing them in the same mood as yesterday. Portugal are a lot more experienced team, they played the World League, and if they want to get a chance against Serbia tomorrow, they have to get a convincing win today. Details

Both teams are aware this might be their most important game in this tournament as they will have a hard time beating Serbia in the full arena. When they played with their best squads, both teams played well - the Slovenians beat the Fins and the Portuguese beat the Spaniards. The only problem are the injuries which hurt Slovenia more. They lost Pajenko and Pokeršnik ahead of the preparations, while Gasparini has some muscle problems and Urnaut spent last three days in bed with a fever and his energy level for this game is questionable. On the other hand, Portugal's libero Ribeiro has minor problems but should be ready for the game today. Portugal play a very fast game and the Slovenians will not have it easy, and the Portuguese have a much better chance than the odds would suggest, while their best option is an over. Details

This game is very important for both teams in the battle for the spot in the Cup. Reggiana still haven't lost at home and they are rightly considered as the favorites. They have one of the best defenses in the league with only 71 points conceded while this aspect is emphasized even more at home as they concede only 65 there. On the other hand,Venezia have been playing very well since Markovski came and they have a solid rhythm. However, it will be very difficult for them to as teams like Reggiana don't suit them very well. They lost 81-62 against Pistoia, 69-54 against Milano, 84-65 against Caserta, all physically very powerful teams just like Reggiana, They score 78 points on average but they are the worst team in this aspect in away games with only 69,5 points per game. Kaukenas and White are a nightmare for every player and Taylor is in for a tough task. Brunner, SIlins and Cervi in the paint have the answer to Perić and Smith and I don't see Venezia going over this margin. Details

This is the derby of the round and the battle for the first spot which adds additional intensity to the game. One thing's fur sure, that is that the game will be very aggressive as this is a trait of both teams, especially Brindisi. Siena know how to defend, they are the best team in the league in this respect and their offense will be without Hackett. Janning and Haynes won't play which means that everything will go through Cournoh who doesn't have that quality. Brindisi can match definitely match them in physical terms while their offense is not brilliant either. Siena have to make up for their debacle in the last round and they have to do that through defense as many times before. Considering the importance of this game and the qualities of these two teams, the margin is too high and is worth taking and available everywhere. Details

Pistoia have improved their form and have been playing well lately, scoring 93 against Montegranaro, 81 against Venezia, 89 against Varese, 79, against Pesaro. But none of these games should be taken into consideration as all teams have poor defense and love faster-paced game. Pistoia are not someone who can impose their rhythm and they won't try to outrun Roma as confirmed by the games against Brindis (60), Siena (66), Reggiana (56) and Milano (56). Roma have started winning but due to defense, they are the third best team in this aspect while their offense is the worst in the league. Since Jones got into the squad, the quality of defense has improved and it's not the same team from the first part of the season. I definitely don't see this as a game with over 150 points and everything up to that margin is worth taking. Details

Milano had a debacle against Cantu as only four players managed to score and they lost by 15 points. Banchi said that they can't play like that and they have to snap out of it and I expect them to be fully motivated today. They are only at the seventh spot and it would be a huge shame if they didn't ensure their place in the Cup and I believe they will show their real face today. Cremona are an ideal opponent as they have five consecutive defeats, Chas and Triković are out until the end of the season and they have a very narrow bench. They lost against Pesaro in the last round, a team which Milan demolished two rounds before. Milano have so far had home wins by 22, 20, 21, and 16 points while Cremona have lost by 15 against Siena, by 22 against Brindisi and by 22 against Reggiana, while they only managed to get a -5 against Avellino and Pistoia. Even though Milano are without Moss, this will not affect the end result here very much and everything but a convincing win by the home team will be a surprise. Details

Siena have lost a lot with Hackett's departure, in defense but especially in offense. Now they will have to turn to defense in which they are the top team of the league. They limited Sassari to 60 points and this says enough about their defense. Caserta have the fourth defense in the league and they often adapt themselves to their opponents and Siena will not run a lot which means we should see a low-scoring game here. Caserta are among the worst offensive teams in the league and they are aware they can't win here by attacking and will try to slow down the game as much as possible. Taking everything into consideration, we shouldn't see a beautiful game here but a trench war. Details

Pesaro are the youngest team of the league, and will today be facing their biggest test yet. How will their offense fare vs Reggiana and their brilliant defense? Reggiana will try to slow down the pace as much as possible, especially if White is absent. Pesaro have never gone over this margin at home yet. We could take Milano for comparison, where they scored 73, but Milano are a running team, whereas Reggiana will not be. The away team allowed their opponents to score more this margin only vs the quick-playing Montegranaro and Sassari, Brindisi scored 72, Milano 73, Roma 72. All of those teams are better than Pesaro, who will find it hard to go over this margin today. Details

I must admit I was surprised by this margin as I'm used to seeing Sassari in 85+ points offers. Seems to me that the bookmakers took the game vs Siena as a benchmark, one of the worst matches Sassari played so far, where they scored only 60 points. They will hardly repeat such bad game today, and Roma's is not exactly the embodiment of great defense and slow rhythm, although they did have a few games where the score was low. Sassari scored 88, 74, 82, 95, and 88 in away games so far. Five of the last six matches between these two teams went over this margin, and I expect the trend to continue today as well. Details

Because of the important absences in Cuneo, this pick simply has to be taken. Main hitters Rouzier and Rauwerdink's absences are a huge blow on Cuneo ambitions in today's game. They aren't brilliant anyway, and they're far from the desired shape and position in the championship. It was a big shock that they crashed out of the CEV Cup in front of their own fans, and didn't confirm the away win. Casadei will take the position of the opposite today, he played very little and isn't near the quality of Rouzier. Antonov and Maruotti won't have substitutes on the positions of the receivers, and keeping in mind that only Antonov showed a good play, a lot of actions might go relying on him. Vibo have a good block with Crer and Forni, and if they close that danger, they'll be close to the win. This match means a lot to them in the fight for the position in the Cup, so I believe they'll be fully engaged and take what's offered. The odds are better than good, and it's a big surprise that Cuneo are still made a favorite. Details

Latina recorded only one win in nine games, and I'm betting on them? I have a very good reason for that - the absent players at Citta di Castello. They will have to do without their first choice opposite Van Walle and starting receiver Fromm, who are on their nation team campaigns. The two of them are by far the best players on this team, they score 32 points on average and making up for that will be quite difficult. Young Sartoretti, born in 1995, who won two points so far will be in the position of opposite. Carminati or Masari will replace Fromm. They've won 16 points so far combined. It's therefore clear that Citta will struggle in offense. Latina, are on the other hand, doing better and better, they did well against Perugia away in the last round, they got through in the Challenge Cup, and they see this game as a great chance for a win. The team are made up of great players, but the results are not in accordance with it. Now that Starovic joined, they seem much better, and I believe they will be able to take advantage of the big problems Citta Di Castello are faced with. Details