Round 2 was a bloodbath!
Only 4 players correctly predicted that there would be more than 14 goals in the 5 matches that made up the round. In fact, there were 17 goals.
A minimum of 2 goals in every game and then 6 in the Bayern v Stuttgart fixture is what really tipped the balance. To be fair, that was always the game that was most likely to put the scoring over the top and so it proved to be.
It does of course set the bar very high for round 3 at 17 goals. Hopefully that will prompt a few players to buy back in and indeed we've already had a couple do just that which has pushed the prize pool up to 1300 MEDALS.
Will we get a repeat of yesterday's goal fest? Let's have a look at the fixtures...
Crystal Palace v West Ham
A massive game for West Ham after the 3 teams around them in the relegation battle all picked up points over the weekend. A win here would pull them 4 points clear of Spurs, a defeat leaves it looking like a direct fight with their London neighbors for the final spot in the bottom 3.
Palace are in a slightly odd position themselves. With 2 matches in hand, they could move up as high as 6th if they were to win both and look to boost their European qualification hopes. Of course, their other going concern is in Europe where they've reached the semi-finals of the Conference League and are chasing a 3rd trophy in the space of 12 months which represents a period of unparalleled success in the club's history.
Neither of these sides seems to like a London derby. Palace have won just 1 of their last 8 home games against London teams while the Hammers have picked up just 4 points against other London clubs in the same time frame.
The bookies are somewhat sat on the fence with this one as far the likelihood for goals are concerned.
Under/over odds
Under 2.5 goals - 2.00
Over 2.5 goals - 1.80
Over 2.5 goals in last 5 games
š most recent matches
Lecce v Fiorentina
Having had a lot of matches yesterday that defined title chases, today is very much relegation battle Monday.
Lecce are currently sat in the bottom 3 of Serie A and on a dreadful run of form with 4 straight defeats to their name.
Fiorentina have picked up 3 wins and 11 points in their last 5 matches to slingshot past tonight's opponents and up to 15th place, 8 points clear of the drop zone.
This then is your classic 6 pointer! A win for the Viloa would see them all but safe. A win for Lecce would take them out of relegation while dragging their opponents back into the quagmire.
Goal scoring wise the home side have managed just 21 league goals in 32 matches so far, the lowest in Serie A this season. They've failed to score in their last 3 outings but to be fair, those games have all come against much better opposition. After this match, they face the 2 sides below them in the league, so you'd say their fate is in their own hands if they can just locate where the opposition's net is!
The Viola beat Palace midweek but crashed out of the Europa League anyway (4-2 on aggregate). Will that dampen their ambitions for the rest of the season?
I think this one is likely to be a fairly tense affair.
Under/over odds
Under 2.5 goals - 1.67
Over 2.5 goals - 2.15
Over 2.5 goals in last 5 games
š most recent matches
Midtjylland v AGF
You might have noticed that we've gotten a little more exotic with some of our picks today. That's necessity as much as anything. We need 5 games all kicking off within a couple of hours of each other so.... Welcome to Denmark!
I'll be honest, I know nothing about Danish domestic football. I'm just reading up now to get my head around their league structure which like several leagues from smaller European countries has 2 distinct phases.
The first phase is a general league where everyone (12 sides in the top flight) plays everyone, home and away. Then it appears the top 6 teams go into a 'Super League' for a further 10 games.
We are just coming up to the half way point of that Super League phase with these 2 having been the top 2 sides in the normal league stage of the season.
Since then, neither team has been pulling up any trees against the stronger opposition they now face on a weekly basis.
Midtjylland were dumped out of Europe recently by Notts Forest (Did you go to that match ? Can you share any tips on them?) and from being the top scorers in the regular league phase, have failed to score more than 2 goals in a game since February.
The same can be said of AGF who are 5 clear at the top. They've scored just 4 goals in their last 4 games too.
Recent matches between these 2 giants of the Danish league don't suggest a goal fest (1-1, 1-0 & 1-1).
The bookies couldn't be more on the fence for this one or maybe, like us, they just don't watch much Danish football!
Under/over odds
Under 2.5 goals - 1.85
Over 2.5 goals - 1.85
Moreirense v Estoril Praia
To Portugal and 2 sides you've probably never heard of!
In fact, here's a bit of trivia I do know about the Portugese League. Only 5 clubs have ever won it and I bet everyone can guess 3 of them easily. I doubt many can get the remaining 2. As a clue, it's neither of these 2 sides!
Both these teams are as mid-table as you can get in 9th and 8th place respectively. Recent poor runs of form have put pay to either side's ambitions of challenging the big boys to become the 6th team in Portugese football history to win the league.
On the goal front, Estoril Praia are the league entertainers. 101 goals have been scored in their 29 games to date, more than any side in the league.
Moreirense aren't quite so thrilling, they've huffed and puffed to just 32 league goals this season.
However, if you are thinking that like yesterday, there could be a really high-scoring game, then perhaps recent history suggests this will be it. These two played out a 3-3 draw in December and in total there have been 21 goals in their last 5 meetings with no fewer than 3 goals in any single match.
Under/over odds
Under 2.5 goals - 1.83
Over 2.5 goals - 1.91
Over 2.5 goals in last 5 games
š most recent matches
Gaziantep FK v Kayserispor
Last but not least, we stop by Turkey.
Kayserispor are in desperate need of a result. They've dropped to 2nd last after the weekend results with the bottom 3 being relegated from the Super Lig.
You don't need a degree in data science to see their problem. They are the league's lowest scorers and have the league's worst defence.
However, it is very tight down there with 5 sides involved in a relegation scrap. A win for Kayserispor would move them out of the bottom 3. That however would be just their 5th win of the season (they love a draw in the Turkish league, around 30% of fixtures end in stalemate).
The other thing they love in Turkey is a sending off. There has been at least 1 red card in 9 of Gaziantep's matches this season!
If they can keep 11 men on the field they'd probably fancy winning this one with relative ease as they did when the 2 sides met in November (0-3). The same fixture last year finished 3-2 in favour of the home side.
Under/over odds
Under 2.5 goals
Over 2.5 goals
Over 2.5 goals in last 5 games
š most recent matches
Round 3 results
- Out but brought back in
- Out but brought back in
- Alive
- Alive
- Alive
- Alive
- Out
- Out
- Out
- Out
- Out
- Out
- Out
We currently have 6 players still in the hunt. With 4 of them yet to lose a life/buy back.
The deadline for tonight's prediction or to buy back in as 6pm (BST) so plenty of time to call up Zurich and move some funds around for those 7 players currently watching from the sidelines.
It's gotta be lower than 17 goals, right?