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
