The 2018 FIFA World Cup continues Friday as Iceland and Nigeria go head-to-head in Group D action following surprising results on both sides in the opening matches. Iceland’s 1-1 draw vs Lionel Messi and Argentina shocked fans and media alike, while Nigeria’s 0-2 loss to Croatia was certainly surprising given the lack of opportunities Nigeria had to score.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.Football OddsTeam to Win (Regular Time)Nigeria: 2.93Draw: 3.13Iceland: 2.70SpreadNigeria +0.5: 1.54Iceland -0.5: 2.56TotalOVER 2.5: 2.47UNDER 2.5: 1.58What to Watch ForBetting on the Draw: Odds — at 3.13 — indicate there’s a 32 percent…. [...]

The 2018 FIFA World Cup continues Thursday as Lionel Messi and Argentina take on group D leader Croatia. Argentina, following a disappointing 1-1 draw vs Iceland, will look to get their first win of the tournament, while Croatia looks to distance themselves in the group after their 2-0 win over Nigeria.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.Football OddsTeam to Win (Regular Time)Argentina: 2.02Draw: 3.39Croatia: 4.17SpreadArgentina -0.5: 2.04Croatia +0.5: 1.89TotalOVER 2: 1.72UNDER 2: 2.21What to Watch ForBetting on the Draw: Odds — at 3.39 — indicate there’s a 29.5 percent chance of a draw. AccuScore sims have…. [...]

The 2018 FIFA World Cup continues Wednesday as Iran and Spain face off in Group B action. Team Melli sits atop the group following their win over Morocco, while Spain has 1 point after their 3-3 draw with Portugal.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.Football OddsTeam to Win (Regular Time)Iran: 24.63Draw: 7.73Spain: 1.16SpreadIran +2: 2.04Spain -2: 1.89TotalOVER 2.5: 1.74UNDER 2.5: 2.19What to Watch ForBetting on the Draw: Odds — at 7.73 — indicate there’s a 13 percent chance of a draw. AccuScore sims have a draw in 18 percent of matches, suggesting some [but not much]…. [...]

Some of the stars might be called away for international duty, but there’s still plenty of action to look forward to in this weekend’s MLS slate. Columbus Crew gets set to host DC United in a match that should have more than a few goals. Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match. Odds SpreadColumbus to win: 1.60Draw: 4.22DC United to win: 5.28TotalOVER 3: 2.04UNDER 3: 1.86What to Watch For Potential on the Draw: Odds — at 4.22 — indicate there’s about a 23.7 percent chance of a draw. Accuscore sims have a draw in about 19 percent of matches, suggesting no…. [...]

A handful of players — including Virgil Van Dijk, Sadio Mane, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — will be returning to their former club this weekend as Southampton hosts Liverpool at St. Mary’s Stadium. Liverpool is fighting to stay in the top four, but enters this weekend’s match following a 2-2 draw last week vs Tottenham. Liverpool is still the only team to beat Manchester City this season, but oup that win with losses to Swansea and West Brom. Southampton enters this match against Liverpool with a road win at West Brom, going undefeated in their last six matches. Key Betting TrendsHistorically, there is a…. [...]

Monday game preview – Chelsea – West Brom West Brom hit the road for a match with Chelsea Monday night as Antonio Conte and the Blues look to snap a two-game losing streak. Chelsea haven’t lost three straight matches in nine years. Chelsea enter the match following a 4-1 loss on the road at Watford last week. West Brom are bottom of the league with 12 games remaining — watch for them to play with some desperation. These two sides last met in November of 2017 when Chelsea won 4-0. Key Betting TrendsWest Brom and Chelsea have met 10 times on a Monday night, with the Baggies…. [...]

The NBA Finals are back this Wednesday when the series switches over to Cleveland, OH as the Cavaliers get set to host the Golden State Warriors for Game 3 of their best-of-seven series. The Warriors won Game 2 122-103 to take a 2-0 lead.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.NBA OddsSpreadGolden State -4.5: 1.93Cleveland Cavaliers +4.5: 1.95Team to WinGolden State : 1.52Cleveland Cavaliers: 2.68TotalOVER 217.5: 1.94UNDER 217.5: 1.95What to Watch ForX-Factor in the Series: Will Andre Iguodala play? His impact on this series is very noticeable, at least his absence from it. In last year’s series vs Cleveland, Golden…. [...]

The NBA Finals tip off Thursday as the Golden State Warriors host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1. This marks the fourth-straight year these two teams have met at this stage, with the Warriors winning two of three so far. This year’s matchup is lopsided, but there’s still plenty to consider when it comes to placing wagers.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.NBA OddsSpreadGolden State -12.5: 2.02Cleveland Cavaliers +12.5: 1.87TotalOVER 215.5: 2.03UNDER 215.5: 1.86What to Watch ForOpening the Series: Cleveland is 2-1 in Game 1’s so far this postseason, including going 1-1. The Warriors are 3-0…. [...]

Two Game 7s? There’s a reason the NBA Playoffs have this sort of popularity as the fans are getting exactly what anyone could hope for at this level of competition. Multiple Game 7s to decide who heads to the NBA Finals. After a comeback performance in the second half of Game 6, the Golden State Warriors head to Houston for Game 7. Reports are suggesting Chris Paul will not return from injury, and AccuScore sims kept him out of the matchup.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.NBA OddsSpreadHouston Rockets +5.5: 2.01Golden State Warriors -5.5: 1.88TotalOVER…. [...]

With the Cleveland Cavaliers facing elimination down 3-2, LeBron James put together an absurd 46-11-9 performance in Game 6 to even the series at three games apiece. Now the Cavs play a Game 7 on the road in Boston against a Celtics team that plays much better at home than on the road. Two of the best words in sports, game seven.Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.NBA OddsSpreadBoston Celtics -2.5: 1.96Cleveland Cavaliers +2.5: 1.93TotalOVER 200.5: 2.00UNDER 200.5: 1.89What to Watch ForHome Court Advantage: The home team has won all six games in this series, and the…. [...]

The NBA Playoffs continue Thursday night when the Houston Rockets — after a huge 95-92 win in game 4 on the road — host the Golden State Warriors for game 5. Can the Rockets take a commanding lead in this series?Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.NBA OddsSpreadHouston Rockets -0.5: 1.97Golden State Warriors +0.5: 1.91TotalOVER 219.5: 2.00 1.89UNDER 219.5: 1.89What to Watch ForBall Movement: So far this postseason, the Warriors are averaging 10 more assists per game in wins than they are in losses, 29.1 to 19. They had a season-low 14 assists in the Game…. [...]

The NBA Playoffs continue Wednesday night when the Golden State Warriors — after stealing game 1 of their best-of-seven series on the road — match up with the Houston Rockets for game 2. Can the Rockets bounce back at home to tie the series at 1 game apiece?Let’s take a closer look at where the value’s at in this match.NBA OddsSpreadHouston Rockets -1.5: 1.94Golden State Warriors +1.5: 1.95TotalOVER 224.5: 1.94UNDER 224.5: 1.95What to Watch ForDynamic Duo: Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson combined for 65 points in game 1.Those two are projected to finish game 2 with a combined 41 points. Betting on the…. [...]

F1 News: Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton says he hopes former team McLaren will be able to compete among the leading group in 2018, having ditched Honda power for Renault.Hamilton, having been guided by McLaren in his junior career, raced for the team in Formula 1 from 2007 to 2012, taking the 2008 title, before sealing a move to Mercedes for 2013.Hamilton has taken 41 wins and three championships in his five years at Mercedes, while McLaren has struggled, failing to take a victory, its plight accentuated by recent struggles with Honda.McLaren has abandoned its Honda collaboration in order to…. [...]

Formula One News: DANIEL Ricciardo’s desperate position has been laid bare by a Formula 1 guru, who’s exposed the hidden dangers of a move to Mercedes or Ferrari.DANIEL Ricciardo is damned if he moves and damned if he doesn’t.Red Bull rising star Max Verstappen’s 2017 powerplay to transform Red Bull into a team that centres around him has left the 28-year-old Australian in a desperate position heading into the final year of his contract with the outfit that discovered him.Following the announcement of Verstappen’s contract extension through to the end of the 2020 Formula 1 season, Red Bull boss Christian…. [...]

F1 News: Lewis Hamilton requires nine points to secure his fourth Formula 1 championship with three more races to go!Leading the first five laps of 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Ferrari’s  Sebastian Vettel did not manage to sustain the lead as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton went on to dominate the rest of the race and also secured the constructor’s championship for Mercedes. Hamilton went on to cross the finishing line with a lead of ten seconds over his title rival Sebastian Vettel, whose team mate and the other driver of team Ferrari finished third after a last-lap pass on him…. [...]

F1 News: McLaren is still waiting for news from Honda on whether Stoffel Vandoorne will escape an engine change penalty at this weekend’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.The tight-and-twisty Marina Bay circuit offer McLaren one of its best remaining chances to add to its points tally this season, with its MCL32 chassis better suited to high downforce venues.But Vandoorne could face a grid penalty in Singapore if Honda is unable to repair the MGU-K shaft that broke on his engine at Monza.A failure of the component in qualifying could not be fixed in time for the race, and the Belgian…. [...]

F1 News: The Williams Formula 1 team will be making “quite substantial changes” to key areas of its car’s philosophy for the 2018 season, according to its chief technical officer Paddy Lowe.Williams is currently fifth in the constructors’ championship with 45 points but is locked in a tight midfield battle with Toro Rosso, Haas and Renault, with just 11 points separating the four teams.“We will be making some quite substantial changes,” said Lowe, who joined the team from Mercedes ahead of this season.“There are lots of different things that we’ll be doing and we’re well into that at the moment.“There…. [...]

F1 News: RED Bull chief Christian Horner believes Formula 1 is a “crossroads” and must make a strong decision on how the future of the sport will look.Talks have been ongoing between F1’s stakeholders since the start of the year over the blueprint for the sport’s next engine formula, which will begin in 2021.Debate over F1’s future direction has heightened in recent weeks after Mercedes, F1’s world champions, announced they would enter a team in the all-electric Formula E series from 2019. Porsche, linked with an F1 move in previous years, will do likewise and join a manufacturer roster which…. [...]

MMA News: Georges St. Pierre returned after a four-year hiatus to defeat Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 217 to become the UFC Middleweight Champion.GSP has since relinquished the title due to medical concerns, but it was a move UFC President Dana White had expected all along.“I thought I would be (super pissed), but I’m not. I expected it,” White said after UFC Fight Night Fresno. “Listen, I had him sign a contract that said he would defend against Whittaker for a reason — because I knew he wouldn’t. He doesn’t want to fight anybody at welterweight,” White continued. “That’s why he fought Bisping….. [...]

MMA News: T.J. Dillashaw once again became the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion after knocking out Cody Garbrandt in the second round of their co-main event title fight at last night’s (Sat., Nov. 4, 2017) UFC 217 pay-per-view (PPV) event in New York City.Shortly after suffering the first loss of his professional combat career, “No Love” declared he was still the best fighter of the two, saying he would right his wrongs in a rematch. Dillashaw, though, says Cody now has to work his way up for a do-over seeing as how the win was pretty convincing.“I just finished…. [...]

MMA News: One-time UFC title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga had his hand raised after a fight for the first time in almost two years, though it wasn’t in an MMA contest.Gonzaga made a successful professional boxing debut at a show in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday, winning a four-round majority decision over Alejandro Esquilin Santiago. It was the 38-year-old’s first victory since defeating Konstantin Erokhin at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finaleon Dec. 11, 2015, which was part of a 1-4 stretch that closed out his time inside the Octagon.For one night, Gonzaga could put his MMA struggles behind him.According to a press release from Rivera Promotions Entertainment,…. [...]

MMA News: Andre FIli was in top position on the ground against Artem Lobov in the second round of their fight when referee Marc Goddard paused the action briefly.Goddard walked over to the cage and told Conor McGregor, MMA’s biggest star and Lobov’s longtime teammate, to leave the area. McGregor, who was not a licensed corner, was shouting directions to Lobov outside the Octagon near where the action was taking place Saturday at UFC Gdansk in Poland.“The reason I interjected is because Artem gets a fourth cornerman cage side giving instruction,” Goddard told MMA Fighting. “That’s not allowed. Imagine had Conor talked him through a…. [...]

MMA Update: Cageside commentators beware: Cody Stamann is listening and he demands respect.It’s not uncommon for a UFC broadcasting team calling the action to skew their praise in the direction of one fighter, especially if it’s a popular champion or a blue-chip prospect. That’s the reality that Stamann faced this past weekend when he had the chance to rewatch his split decision win over Tom Duquesnoy at UFC 216.Duquesnoy headed into Saturday’s bout riding a massive hype train, with pundits praising the 24-year-old Frenchman as a future champion at 135 pounds. That pre-match assessment didn’t sit well with Stamann, who entered the fight with his…. [...]

MMA News: Luis Felipe Alvim is the new Juiz de Fora Fight welterweight champion, and his story is unlike everything you’ve ever seen.Juiz de Fora Fight 18 was expected to feature Carlos Eduardo Rufino vs. Claudinei Kall for the 170-pound belt in the main event, but Rufino missed weight by almost a pound. Kall was upset, but initially agreed to take on the overweight opponent. A day later, moments before the fight, Kall changed his mind and decided to pull out of the bout.And that’s when Alvim enters the story.The 22-year-old mixed martial arts fan, a black belt in muay…. [...]