25/26 Match Week 24 Preview

Holiday Road, Dis-Parity & Benfica

Author

nick lochner
January 30, 2026

CS is driving across the country so today’s newsletter may have a little different feel.

Family Truckster

  • What 2 Look 4 👀 

  • Headlines 📌

  • Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥-

  • Off Island 🏝️ - Champions & Europa League

  • World Cup Corner 🌎🍵🏪

  • Best Bets 💰

What 2 Look 4 👀- Match Week 24

(reminder - like driving on the other side of the road, in the PL, HOME teams are listed first)

  • 5.4.1 Week. 5 Saturday, 4 Sunday, 1 Monday.

Saturday

9am cst

+519 Draw +310 -191

  • Must win for Gunners?

  • Leeds approaching relegation zone.

9am

+205 Draw +256 +123

  • Is there a big difference between these sides at this point in the season? Remove Cherries 8 game run to start the season and Wolves and Cherries are the same.

9am

-118 Draw +263 +315

  • Two sides exceeding previous expectations yet underachieving.

1130am

-207 Draw +356 +481

  • London Derby - West v East.

  • Both sides on win streaks, yet have questions.

2pm

-130 Draw +298 +305

  • Underachievers this season.

  • Liverpool’s lack of defense hosts Newcastle’s tough road defense.

Sunday

8am

-173 Draw +328 +411

  • Here come United, can they keep it going.

  • Seems like any time FFC gets into top 10, they fall back out.

8am

-104 Draw +258 +275

  • Villa suddenly 4 points off top of table.

  • Bee’s back-to-back stumbles.

8am

-104 Draw +244 +281

  • Tree’s starting to play for Dyche.

  • Palace winless in 2026.

1030am

+374 Draw +320 -158

  • Spurs need something more.

  • City need their own improvement.

Monday

2pm

-139 Draw +370 +250

  • Burnley won this won the first time around.

  • Sunderland have yet to lose at home.

Headlines 📌

  • Table

Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

  Disparity or Parity

In sports, PARITY refers to when participating teams have roughly equivalent levels of talent. Each year, anyone could win the league. In the USA, the NFL strives for parity using salary caps, draft order and schedule adjustments.

The opposite condition, which could be considered "disparity" between teams, is a condition in which the elite teams are so much more talented that the lesser teams are hopelessly outmatched.

Disparity would be a good term for Europea Soccer. There are tiers of teams with and without money. Those teams “with” have expectations beyond those teams “without”. In the PL, the Big Six teams have a financial advantage, and they can use it.

Given that backdrop, it’s interesting to see what' the last 6 EPL matches have resulted in - a little swing towards parity - even if it may be short lived. No team in the PLE since Christmas day has won more than 3 matches (out of 6). FOUR of the “big” six clubs have won 2 or less. No team has taken more than 12 points of a possible 18. And while they have been stumbling the last couple of years, Man United (the biggest of the big) finally sit at the top of the table in that stretch.

Off Island 🏝️

Champions & Europa League

The final match of the 8 was played - top 8 in table get a bye, next 16 play off.

Here are the results…..and the knock-out matchups.

  • GREAT DRAMA as all 18 matches were played consecutively on Wednesday to determine the final table.

  • The Match of the day goes to Benfica 4-2 Real Madrid.

    • First off, Benfica was a significant underdog hosting Real Madrid.

    • A win for Real Madrid would put them thru to the top 8.

    • Benfica was fighting to just make the knockout round.

    • Real Madrid took an early lead but Benfica tied it before half and then took a 3-1 lead in the 2H before RM got one back to make it 3-2.

    • As scores started to come in, not only did Benfica need to win but they needed to win by 2 goals.

    • To add drama, Jose Mourinho (Benfica) manager used to be Real Madrid’s manager (as well as Chelsea’s).

    • Watch this finish - unbelievable as Benfica’s Goalkeeper comes up for the free kick and scores a header.

    • Benfica gets the 90+7’ goal and advances to the knock-out round.

Champions League

Match 8 of 8 Results

  • Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Man City all earn byes.

  • Newcastle enter the playoff.

PL Road Games

  • Frankfurt (Germany) 0-2 Tottenham

  • Napoli (Italy) 2-3 Chelsea

  • PSG (France) 1-1 Newcastle

PL Home Games

  • Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag (Azerbaijan)

  • Man City 2-0 Galatasaray (Turkey)

  • Arsenal 3-2 Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan)

Europa League

Match 8 of 8 Results.

Villa was down 0-2 at home and scored 3 2H goals to win.

Villa goes straight to the round of 16, Forest head to the Knock-out round.

PL Road Games

  • None

PL Home Games

  • Aston Villa 3-2 Salzburg (Austria)

  • Forest 4-0 Ferencvaros (Hungary)

🌎🍵🏪CS World Cup Corner 🌎🍵🏪

Just 129 days to the World Cup.

Best Bets 💰

Season - Down $769

  • MW1 ($14)

  • MW2 $183

  • MW3 ($10)

  • MW4 $43

  • MW5 ($127)

  • MW6 ($75)

  • MW7 $32

  • MW8 ($15)

  • MW9 ($1)

  • MW10 $83

  • MW11 ($12)

  • MW12 ($23)

  • MW13 ($34)

  • MW14 $33

  • MW15 ($19)

  • MW16 $67

  • MW18 ($79)

  • MW19 ($55)

  • MW20 $66

  • MW21 ($104)

  • MW22 ($203)

  • MW23 ($541)

CleanSheet Season Gains/Losses: Starting Balance $1000. Current Standing $231.

Week 24 Picks

Man United to Win v FFC -173. $173

Sometimes to change momentum you just have to push your chips to the center of the table.

Sunderland to Win v Burnley -139. $28

Sometimes to change momentum you just have to push your chips to the center of the table.

Longshots of the week

Man United, Sunderland, Forest to Win +426. $20

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