Sunday 6/26/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

European Championships TODAY 14:00

France

v

Ireland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV		1/2	3	8	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HWNWNWNWNWND​ Most recent​	1 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 0	HDHDNLNDNLNW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: France have won 11 of their last 13 matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Ireland have revenge on their minds as they seek to erase memories of Thierry Henry's handball in a World Cup qualifying playoff clash in November 2009. They deserved their 1-0 victory over an under-strength Italy on Thursday but will find it tougher against France, who will strive to leave their unconvincing group stage performances behind them.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw-France double result
1


REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

European Championships TODAY 17:00

Germany

v

Slovakia

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV		9/20	16/5	9	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HWHLNWNWNDNW​ Most recent​	1 - 3 2 - 1 4 - 1 0 - 2	NWAWHDNLNWND​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Germany have kept clean sheets in their last four games

EXPERT VERDICT: Slovakia beat Germany 3-1 in a friendly in Augsburg last month but are highly unlikely to achieve a similar result in the Euro 2016 knockout match in Lille. Germany have not fired on all cylinders but created lots of chances in the 1-0 win over Northern Ireland and should put an ordinary Slovakia side to the sword.

RECOMMENDATION: Germany to win 2-0
1


REFEREE: Szymon Marciniak STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

European Championships TODAY 20:00

Hungary

v

Belgium

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BBC1		6	5/2	4/6	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HDHDNLNWNDND​ Most recent​	0 - 3 1 - 1 1 - 2	NWHDHWNLNWNW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Hungary have lost just two of their last 15 fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Hungary were outsiders for all of their group stage matches but are yet to taste defeat and can hold their own against Belgium in Toulouse. Belgium impressed in their 3-0 success over Ireland but have looked average in their other matches and may find it tough to break down the under-rated Hungarians.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Milorad Mazic STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

European Championships Mo 27Jun 17:00

Italy

v

Spain

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BBC1		10/3	2	23/20	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
ALHWNWNWNWNL​ Most recent​	1 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 0 0 - 4	NWNWNLNWNWNL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Italy have conceded one goal in their last five games

EXPERT VERDICT: Italy are one of the best teams in the world at defending their penalty area and can make life difficult for Spain at the Stade de France. Possession will be mainly in the hands of Spain but their 2-1 loss to Croatia was a reality check and they may struggle to get back on track against such a disciplined opponent.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[superbeets]

European Championships Mo 27Jun 20:00

England

v

Iceland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV		8/15	29/10	15/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HWHWHWNDNWND​ Most recent​	6 - 1	AWALHWNDNDHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Iceland have kept one clean sheet in their last eight fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: England boss Roy Hodgson has suggested that his charges could be ready to hand out a hiding and the prophecy could come true with the Three Lions likely to dismantle Iceland in Nice. Iceland worked incredibly hard to take five points in Group F but may not have much left to give in the round of 16.

RECOMMENDATION: England-England double result
1

 

[superbeets]

[h=3]France v Republic of Ireland[/h]
Opta facts:

• France are unbeaten in their last five games against the Republic of Ireland (W2 D3). The Republic's last win dates back to October 1981 in a World Cup qualifier (3-2).
• The last five encounters between France and the Republic of Ireland have produced only four goals (3 for France, 1 for R.O.I.)..
• France are unbeaten in their last 15 major tournament games played on home soil, winning 13 and drawing two. Their last defeat dates back to July 1960 in the inaugural European Championships against Czechoslovakia (0-2).
• France have kept two clean sheets in a row, which hadn't happened in a EURO tournament since 1996 (over 120 minutes v both Netherlands & Czech Republic). The only goal they've conceded so far was from the penalty spot against Romania in the opening game.
• In fact, France last conceded a shot on target 205 minutes ago. It was Romania's penalty in the opening game.
• Nine of France's last 10 goals at the EURO have been scored after half-time. At EURO 2016, three of their four goals have come from the 89th minute onwards.
• The Republic of Ireland are in the knockout stages of the European Championships for the first time in their history. Their victory against Italy on Wednesday night was only their second in the tournament after the one against England in 1988.
• Wes Hoolahan is involved in both of the Republic's goals at EURO 2016: goalscorer against Sweden and assist provider against Italy.

 

[superbeets]

[h=3]Germany v Slovakia[/h]
Opta facts:

• Germany have won seven of their 10 encounters with Slovakia (L3) including their two competitive head-to-heads back in the EURO 2008 qualifiers (6 goals scored, 2 conceded).
• However, their most recent fixture ended in a 3-1 victory for Slovakia last month. Slovakia scored with three of their four shots on target in that game.
• Only one of Germany's 44 shots in their last two games has found the back of the net.
• Germany haven't conceded a single goal so far at EURO 2016, the only team to do so alongside Poland. The last time they kept three clean sheets in all their group games at a major tournament was at EURO 1996, a tournament they eventually won.
• Germany have averaged 71.9% possession over their first three games, the highest ratio so far at EURO 2016.
• Slovakia have only kept one clean sheet in seven games at major tournaments, it was in their last outing against England (0-0).
• Thomas Müller hasn't scored a single goal in eight games at the EURO. He has 10 goals in 13 World Cup games.
• Only Jürgen Klinsmann has scored more goals (5) than Mario Gomez (4) for Germany at the EURO.
• Marek Hamsik is directly involved in four goals in his last four competitive games with Slovakia (3 goals, 1 assist). He's the only player along with Martin Skrtel and Jan Durica to have featured in all seven of Slovakia's games at major tournaments.

 

[superbeets]

[h=3]Hungary v Belgium[/h]
Opts facts:

• Belgium have won six of their last eight encounters with Hungary (including the last four) whilst drawing the other two. Hungary's last victory dates back to November 1958, in a friendly (3-1).
• Belgium have scored in each of their last 10 games against Hungary, including at least two goals in each of the last five encounters.
• Hungary were the joint-top scorers in the group stages alongside Wales (6 goals each). 50% of their goals came from outside the box (3 out of 6).
• Belgium have made it to the knockout stages of the European Championships for the first time since 1980, when they reached the final (1-2 v West Germany).
• Belgium have not drawn any of their last 10 European Championship games, winning four and losing six since their last stalemate - a 0-0 draw against Italy in 1980.
• Belgium have actually just won back-to-back games for the first time at the European Championships.
• Belgium have also kept clean sheets in each of their last two games, which hadn't happened since March 2015.
• Belgium's last five EURO goals have all been scored in the second-half.
• Only Spain (83%) and Germany (82%) have recorded a better passing accuracy in the final third of the pitch than Belgium (80%) at EURO 2016.
• Eden Hazard has assisted Belgium's last two goals. However, he's still goalless in 637 minutes at major tournaments with the Red Devils.

 

[superbeets]

[h=3]Italy v Spain[/h]

Opta facts:

• This will be the 35th encounter between Italy and Spain. The record is perfectly balanced so far with 10 wins each and 14 draws.
• It will also be the sixth encounter between Italy and Spain in the European Championships (including four in the last three editions), making this the most played fixture in the history of the tournament.
• Spain have eliminated Italy in their two previous encounters in the knockout stages of the EURO: 0-0 (4-2 after penalties) in 2008; 4-0 in the 2012 final.
• Italy's last victory against Spain in a major tournament was in the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup (2-1 thanks to goals from Dino and Roberto Baggio).
• Italy have reached the knockout stages of the EURO for the sixth time in eight participations since 1980. It's only the second time they've topped their group in the competition after 2000, when they reached the final.
• Italy have failed to score in three of their last four knockout games at the EURO.
• Spain have lost three of their last six games at the World Cup and EURO, as many defeats as in their previous 31 major tournament games.
• Spain's starting line-up was the same in all three of their group games at EURO 2016.
• Only Fernando Torres (5) and David Villa (4) have scored more goals at the EURO for Spain than 23-year-old Alvaro Morata (3).
• Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci are the only players to have started all three of Italy's games at EURO 2016.

 

[superbeets]

[h=3]England v Iceland[/h]

Opta facts:

• This will be the third encounter between England and Iceland. So far, England are unbeaten, having drawn 1-1 in June 1982 and won 6-1 in June 2004.
• England and Iceland's two previous encounters have produced nine goals.
• This is the first time England have reached the knockout stages in two consecutive EURO tournaments (2012, 2016).
• England are unbeaten in their last 10 games at the European Championships, shoot-outs excluded (W5 D5). Their last defeat dates back to 13 June 2004 against France.
• However, England's last four knockout games at the EURO have all gone to penalties. They won the first shoot-out (v Spain in 1996) but have since then lost the last three (v Germany in 1996, v Portugal in 2004, v Italy in 2012).
• England's three goals at EURO 2016 have all been scored from the 56th minute onwards.
• Iceland are unbeaten at EURO 2016 so far (W1 D2). In fact, they have only lost once across their last nine competitive matches (W4 D4).
• All three of Iceland's group games at EURO 2016 have seen both teams score.
• Iceland were the only team, along with Spain, to start with the same lineup in all three of their group games.
• Iceland striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson has only has two shots in 245 minutes at EURO 2016. None of them have been on target.
• Iceland's Hannes Thór Halldórsson has made more saves than any other goalkeeper at this year's EURO (18).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Toyota/Save Mart 350
By Micah Roberts

Gentlemen, and lady, start your damn engines, like now. Hurry! I missed you guys.

It's only been two weeks since the Sprint Cup Series last raced, but I almost have this need to see a race like I do each year before Daytona speedweeks starts when I've been waiting over two months for some action.

So far, we've seen races on all types of tracks through the first 15 races, but the summer season of NASCAR brings us the two road circuits where we'll see drivers make both right and left turns. The first weekend of August will take us to Watkins Glen International, but my favorite without a doubt is Sonoma just because it's a more technical course with elevation changes. This course separates the roundy-round drivers from the truly skilled drivers. It's also got a nice back drop with the beautiful wine country in Napa and Sonoma Valley.

Some drivers hate the road courses and they're real easy to locate just by looking at past history. Matt Kenseth is one of them and his odds reflect it at 50-to-1. He doesn't have any top-fives in 16 starts and has a 22nd-place average finish.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has only one top-five finish in 16 Sonoma starts with a 19.4 average finish and Denny Hamlin has just one top-five in 10 starts (22.7 avg.). Those are drivers considered to be good candidates to win weekly on all other tracks, but on the roads you throw them out of any betting or fantasy equation.

The drivers you want to key on this week are the ones who excel over and over again on the roads, and specifically Sonoma. The two road courses are radically different with Watkins Glen being much faster with longer straights and sweeping turns. Entering and exiting the turns fastest at Sonoma takes special skills and there are a few who consistently do it well.

“Everyone likes to compare Sonoma and Watkins Glen since they’re the only two road courses that we run in a year, but they couldn’t be any more different from each other," Matt Kenseth said. "Sonoma has always been a challenge for me because it’s very slow and technical where it’s hard to pass at. Road courses lately, with the restarts being two-wide, has become some of the most aggressive racing that we do all year. Sonoma is one of my most challenging tracks on the circuit as far as finishes and stats go, but I always look to go out there and improve every race.

The driver who has impressed the most at Sonoma over the past few years has been Las Vegan Kurt Busch, who has four top-five finishes there in his last five starts, including a 2011 win. Last season he was runner-up to his brother Kyle Busch, who won there for the second time in his career.

Since NASCAR started keeping Loop Data at all the tracks in 2005, Kurt Busch has the top Sonoma rating at 109.3. The only other driver rated at over 100.0 is Jimmie Johnson (101.0). Kurt also leads the series in Loop categories such as 'Average Running Position'(9.613), 'Average Green Flag Speed'(90.227 mph) and 955 'Laps in the Top 15'. His 197 laps led in 15 starts is the most among active drivers.

Qualifying well is huge at Sonoma and among drivers with at least three starts Kurt is the active leader with a 9.2 average start position. Just over 70 percent of all Sonoma races have been won from a Top-10 start position.

Although Kyle has more Sonoma wins than his brother, his two wins are his only top-fives there in 11 starts. Kurt leads the series with seven top-five Sonoma finishes and if we look at his body of work on the roundy-round tracks, he's been even more consistent. He leads the series with 13 top-10 finishes in 15 starts and got his only win of the season at Pocono three weeks ago which is known as the Superspeedway that drives like a road course. All betting strategies this week should begin with the elder Busch brother.

After that you have to look at Kyle Busch despite his win or nothing past history at Sonoma. Last season he started a string of winning four of five races on the schedule with his Sonoma win. The week off couldn't have come at better time since he's finished 30th or worse in his past four starts following his Kansas win. Despite the poor run of luck, he still leads the series with three wins and nine top-five finishes this season.

“Sonoma is a neat place," Kyle Busch said. "It’s a cool area to go to up into Wine Country. I’ve always enjoyed road-course racing. Even when I was in Legends cars, I would enjoy going up there during the days that I raced there. Now that I’m on the Sprint Cup tour, it’s cool to go there every June. It’s a fun racetrack. The cars get grouped a lot closer together there than at Watkins Glen, so braking there is a lot tougher getting into turn four, turn seven, and especially turn 11. There are some opportunities in those corners to pass people. Forward bite seems to have become an issue as you get going there during the run. And you need to make sure you keep the rear tires underneath you because it’s really easy to burn them babies off when you try and pass somebody, because you go to pass somebody and hit the gas and all your rear tires want to do is spin and you can’t get alongside that guy. So, from that respect, Sonoma can be frustrating at times, as well. We just want to get in a position to win with our M&M’S Camry, then see how the strategy plays out.”

Jimmie Johnson was never known as a road course driver. In fact, one of his greatest highlights was him running head-on, full speed with no brakes, into a wall at Watkins Glen when drove in the Xfinity Series. After having just one top-five in his first seven Sonoma starts, he's finished ninth or better in his past seven, including a 2010 win.

Kevin Harvick has never won at Sonoma, but he's been very competitive with four top-five finishes, including fourth last season. Look for him to contend for another top-five.

Clint Bowyer is using absolute junk under the hood this season as he's in kind of a lame duck situation until he takes over Tony Stewart No. 14 next year, but his skills make him someone to consider in match-ups and fantasy lineups. Maybe even a win like he did 2012? He finished third last season and leads the series with a 8.6 average finish in 10 starts. The next best average in the series is Stewart's 12.4.

A.J. Allmendinger's only career win came at Watkins Glen two years ago and although he's finished 37th each of the past two Sonoma races, he's still one to be respected. He's listed as one the favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook at 7/1 odds. In seven Sonoma starts he has two top-10 finishes and has led 36 laps.

Sunday's race will be the final FOX telecast of the season before the coverage shifts to NBC at Daytona. I never liked listening to Jeff Gordon's dry monotone voice in all his interviews during his career even though he was one of my favorite drivers, but he brought a huge upgrade to the FOX coverage this year with his insights. That dude brings it with details and he'll be missed weekly. And perhaps most of all, I'll just miss Mike Joy's smooth call of a race. No one does it better. It's been championship NASCAR season for FOX.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #41 Kurt Busch (6/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (10/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (10/1)
4) #4 Kevin Harvick (7/1)
5) #19 Carl Edwards (12/1)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sunday's international soccer action report: Euro 2016 and Copa America final
By PATRICK EVERSON

International soccer is providing a fair amount of the handle at Las Vegas sportsbooks and online shops this weekend. We talk about Sunday’s big matches with Jeff Stoneback, sportsbook manager at The Mirage on the Strip, and Greg Sindall, senior oddsmaker for online site SportsInteraction.

EURO 2016

The first round of the 16-team knockout stage continues Sunday in France, and the first game is getting most of the attention from bettors. France, currently a co-favorite with Germany at 7/2 to win the tournament, will take on Ireland in a match that will have Vegas bettors waking early, with a 6 a.m. Pacific kickoff (9 a.m. Eastern).

“That first game, we’ve seen a lot of action already,” Stoneback told Covers on Saturday morning. “We’ve actually written four times as many tickets on Ireland as we have on France. We actually need France to win that game.”

Perhaps that’s because this is a big revenge game for the lads from Ireland. In the second leg of a 2009 World Cup qualifier, Thierry Henry clearly and intentionally used his hand to redirect the ball to a teammate who scored, giving France an aggregate-goals victory as it advanced to the World Cup.

Ireland is +900 at The Mirage, with France -250.

“Apparently, bettors are looking at that big payoff,” Stoneback said.

France opened -250.

“France is a heavy favorite against a far lesser team in the Republic of Ireland,” Sindall said, noting the line moved to -263 for the French. “Ireland is priced at a whopping +735 to win the match outright.”

Copa America

Argentina meets Chile in the championship game at 8 p.m. Eastern on Sunday night, from East Rutherford, N.J. Lionel Messi and Co. are a healthy -150 chalk at The Mirage, but much like Ireland-France, that’s not where the money is going.

“That game has a lot of action, and they’re betting Chile like crazy,” Stoneback said. “We have four times as many tickets on Chile as we have on Argentina. We’ve just dropped Chile from +400 to +375.

“There’s probably more tickets written on this match than on the three Euro matches that are playing tomorrow.”

Argentina opened a -142 favorite and is seeing the overwhelming bulk of the action, running opposite The Mirage.

“The Messi-led Argentinians are the big public favorite in this match, and with 85 percent of the early money, we have dropped their price to -151, while Chile is paying +398 to win the match outright,” Sindall said. “It is still early, but I expect the public to steadily back Argentina right up to kick off. Argentina’s price will drop further by Sunday.”

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Euro 2016 betting cheat sheet and odds: Is Belgium living up to the hype?

The Group Stage of Euro 2016 is complete and the Round of 16 is in full swing. Day 2 of the Knockout Round goes Sunday with three intriguing matchups. We break them down in our betting cheat sheet.

Hosts With the Most

France (-225) was the class of Group A, and will look to keep the home fans happy as it opens elimination round play Sunday against an upstart Irish side (+850). The French side opened with convincing shutout victories over Romania and Albania before settling for a tie with the Swiss in the group stage finale. Ireland used a pivotal victory over Italy in its final Group 3 game to advance, and will be in tough against the favorites.

Vengeance for Italy?

The Italians (+320) have waited four years to avenge their one-sided loss in the last European championship final, and they’ll get their chance Monday in Paris against Spain (+110). The defending champs dominated from start to finish in the 2012 final, routing Italy 4-0 to win their second straight Euro. Both teams rolled through their first two games but dropped their group stage finales; Spain’s defeat cost it top spot in Group D.

Beware of Ice(Land)

England (-190) looks to overcome a less-than-impressive group showing as it faces tournament darling Iceland (+650) Monday at Allianz Riviera in Nice. The English side did little to impress its rabid fan base, needing two late goals to upend Wales while settling for draws with Russia and Slovakia. Still, they come in as heavy favorites against an Iceland team that has already overcome long odds just by reaching the Round of 16.

News and Notes

* England star Harry Kane says his side isn’t distracted by Britons voting for their country to leave the European Union. Kane also said he’s not concerned about the possible ramifications for the Premier League.

* Ireland manager Martin O’Neill says his players aren’t bent on revenge as they gear up for their tilt with France. It was a French hand ball that set up a goal that prevented the Irish from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

Injury Updates

* Italian winger Antonio Candreva is considered doubtful for Sunday’s Round of 16 tilt with Spain. Candreva injured his right adductor muscle in the 1-0 win over Sweden and missed Wednesday’s loss to Ireland

* Ireland striker Jonathan Walters is expected to miss the elimination round game with France after suffering an Achilles injury in the group stage opener against Sweden.

Weather Watch

The France-Ireland and Hungary-Belgium matches will both be played under clear skies Sunday, with temperatures in the low-70s. Germany-Slovakia will see partly cloudy conditions, but no threat of rain and temperatures hovering in the mid-60s by kickoff.

Italy-Spain will be played under mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-60s. Clear conditions are also expected for England-iceland, with game-time temperatures reaching the low-70s.

Props of the Day

* France/Ireland, Correct Score - France 2-0 (+400): The French are motivated to impress in front of the home crowd, and will be looking to put a disappointing group stage finale behind them. Look for a result similar to Les Bleus’ first two group stage games.

* England/Iceland, Method of Victory - England in Extra Time (+575): This is a significant mismatch on paper - but as they say, you don’t play the game on paper. Iceland has been the superior of the two teams through three group-stage games - and while it should ultimately fall short, don’t be surprised to see the English side taken past 90 minutes.

Key Stats and Trends

* France has seven wins and five draws in 16 meetings with Ireland; none of the last five encounters have featured more than one goal.

* Spain has three wins and two draws in its last five matches with Italy, with the Azzurri’s previous win coming at the 1994 World Cup.

* England and Iceland haven’t met in more than 12 years; Wayne Rooney had a pair of goals in the English side’s 6-1 rout of Iceland in their previous encounter back in June 2004.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sunday's Euro Tip Sheet
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

(Group Record)

Ireland (1-1-1) vs. France (2-1-0)

Location: Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon
TV/Time: ESPN, 9:00 a.m. ET

France have been rather disappointing so far in their home tournament, despite getting seven points from their three group games. Had all three games finished on 88 minutes, they would only have scraped through in third place with three draws.

But they have been dealt a relatively kind hand in the last 16 as they meet a Republic of Ireland side who were hugely lucky to play a severely weakened Italy side, against whoom they got the win that secured their quaification to the knockout stage of a tournament for the first time since 2002.

The Boys in Green played decently in a 1-1 draw with Sweden, but in their hardest match of the group they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in one of the tournament’s few mismatches so far.

The game against France, who will have stored up a fair amount of energy for the latter stage of the tournament, will be harder than anything the Irish have experienced yet. They are predictably solid, but there are minor teams more suited to giving the French a fright. At 10/11 France to win to nil is a good bet. They are 1/2 to win the game with Ireland 8/1.

Prediction: France to win to nil at 10/11

Slovakia (1-1-1) vs. Germany (2-1-0)

Location: Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq
TV/Time: ESPN, 12:00 p.m. ET

There are two ways to look at Germany’s performance in the group stage, where they got seven points, beating Northern Ireland 1-0, Ukraine 2-0 and drawing 0-0 with Poland. First, you could say that they won the group fairly easily and still have their best football to come. On the other hand, there were times when Joachim Löw’s side reminded you of Spain in the 2014 World Cup - a rather stale side whose tactics had not developed enough and who were, at times, boring.

They are heavy 9/20 favourites to defeat Slovakia in the last 16, with their opponents, who showed their mettle in keeping England to a 0-0 draw, available at 9/1.

Slovakia are like many other teams at this Euros: they are solid at the back, possess fighters in midfield (along with the superb Marek Hamsik) but lack a cutting edge up front.

However they weren’t too bad in the group stages and actually beat Germany 3-1 in a pre-tournament friendly. That is unlikely to repeat itself, but the Slovaks can frustrate their opponents. A 1-0 Germany win looks a good bet at 9/2.

Prediction: Germany to win 1-0 at 9/2

Belgium (2-0-1) vs. Hungary (1-2-0)

Location: Stadium Municipal, Toulouse
TV/Time: ESPN, 3:00 p.m. ET

Despite recovering well from their early defeat to Italy with wins over Ireland and Sweden, Belgium did not put to bed doubts over their credentials during the group stage. They go into their match with Hungary as 4/6 favourites - they would have been more like 1/2 had they played each other at the start of the tournament. Hungary are 6/1 with a draw 5/2.

Hungary have been one of the stories of the tournament so far. They won Group F despite being the outsiders in a relatively weak group. Their success can be put down to an excellent team ethic, and lots of credit must go to German manager Bernd Storck for making them such a coherent unit.

A good bet here may be Kevin de Bruyne to score first. After being shunted out wide in Belgium’s defeat to Italy in the opening game, manager Marc Wilmots has seen sense and moved the Man City star into the middle, where he is best. His record of 12 goals in 45 international games is very good, and he came into the tournament in excellent form.

Prediction: Kevin de Bruyne to score first at 6/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mercury (5-9) at Liberty (10-4)

Date: June 26, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

The two highest-scoring players in the WNBA will meet when the Phoenix Mercury play at the New York Liberty on Sunday.

New York forward Tina Charles is having an MVP-like season, averaging a league-best 22.0 points per game, to go along with team-high averages of 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. The Liberty (10-4) lead the Eastern Conference.

"We're playing great as a team," Charles told the MSG Networks. "More importantly, we're falling in love with the process of winning. For us, it's about playing team ball ... everybody on this team is being a star within their role. I think it's really sweet with what we're doing."

The Mercury haven't been as successful, entering the game at Madison Square Garden with a 5-9 mark, but guard Diana Taurasi is still at the top of her game in her 12th WNBA season.

Taurasi scored 27 points in a 91-79 victory at the Washington Mystics on Friday night, becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 7,000 points. Taurasi, who has 7,006 points, upped her season average to 20.3, trailing only Charles.

Center Brittney Griner added 22 points in Friday night's win, making 10 of 15 shots from the field. The Mercury can score, averaging a league-high 87.1 points per game, but they allow a league-worst 88.4, which has been a significant factor in a so-far disappointing season.

New York, meanwhile, has been one of hottest teams in the league, winning six games in a row, its longest winning streak since 2010. This marks the first time the Liberty have been 10-4 since 2001.

Charles has 10 double-doubles in 14 games and has scored more than 20 in six consecutive games. While wearing a face mask to protect a broken nose, she had 21 points and 13 rebounds in Friday night's 80-79 win over the visiting Chicago Sky.

Liberty guard Rebecca Allen made her 2016 debut Friday. She scored eight points and made both of her 3-point attempts in 12 minutes. Allen played in just two games last season before suffering a knee injury, and she had been training with an Australian team until joining the Liberty this week.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lynx (13-1) at Mystics (7-8)

Date: June 26, 2016 4:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Lynx are about to find out what kind of team it is after a loss.

The Lynx, who set an WNBA-record by winning their first 13 games to start the season, suffered their first defeat Friday night, falling 94-76 at home to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Minnesota will try to bounce back Sunday at the Washington Mystics (7-8).

Earlier in the week, the Lynx had won at Los Angeles in a battle of then-unbeaten teams.

"I thought they played with that chip on their shoulder and determination," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said on WNBA.com after the loss, talking about the Sparks. "Perhaps we had a bit of a hangover."

The Lynx will need to clear their heads going against a Washington team that has been hot, although it has struggled at the Verizon Center. The Mystics lost their first five games at home, won two, and then surprisingly lost 91-79 to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.

Overall, though, Washington has still won five of its past seven games.

One of the Mystics' losses came at home to Minnesota, which claimed an 83-76 victory on June 11. Minnesota shot 49.2 percent in that game and placed four players in double figures, led by 21 points from guard Seimone Augustus.

Forward Maya Moore leads the Lynx, averaging 19.4 points per game, to go with 4.8 assists per game. She scored 28 points in Friday's rematch with the Sparks, shaking off a left thigh bruise suffered in Tuesday's fourth quarter.

Center Sylvia Fowles averages 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds for Minnesota. Augustus is the team's third double-digit scorer at 11.2 per game.

For Washington, guard Tayler Hill leads the way with 15.7 points per game, with center Emma Meesseman close behind at 14.8. Guard Natasha Cloud will try to stay hot after making 5 of 7 3-point attempts en route to a career-high 18 points in the loss to Phoenix.

Minnesota built its 13-0 record on efficient team play and defense, neither of which was present Friday night. The Lynx allowed 56 points in the second half to the Sparks and committed 18 turnovers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sun (3-11) at Sparks (12-1)

Date: June 26, 2016 5:00 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Sparks are coming off their biggest victory of the season as they prepare to entertain the struggling Connecticut Sun on Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles (12-1) won its first 11 games before falling to Minnesota, which won its first 13 games to set a WNBA record. Minnesota beat Los Angeles 72-69 on June 21 at Staples Center, knocking the Sparks from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The Sparks returned the favor 72 hours later at Target Center in Minneapolis, winning 94-76 to hand the Lynx their first loss of the season.

Kristi Toliver scored a season-high 25 points and tied her career high with seven 3-pointers in the Sparks' victory over the Lynx. Nneka Ogwumike posted 20 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles, which ended the game with a 21-6 run in the final 4:22.

Connecticut (3-11) is making the second stop on a four-game road trip that will take the Sun to Phoenix and Dallas next week. Before embarking on the trip, the Sun posted a 93-90 victory over San Antonio at home on June 19, but Connecticut suffered a 98-81 loss at Seattle on Friday.

Alex Bentley scored 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field in the loss to Seattle. Shekinna Stricklen came off the bench to score 12 points for Connecticut, which trailed by 19 at the break after surrendering 56 first-half points.

Seattle shot 61.4 percent from the floor against Connecticut while holding the Sun to 37.6 percent shooting.

The Sparks are fourth in the WNBA in scoring and first in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 71.8 points per game. The Sun are ninth in scoring and 10th in points allowed, giving up an average of 87.9 points.

Ogwumike is 10th in the WNBA in scoring at 17.2 points per game and leads the league in field-goal percentage at 68.9 percent. Toliver is second in 3-point shooting at 49.4 percent.

Bentley leads Connecticut in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game. Jasmine Thomas averages 11.4 points and 4.7 assists.

Los Angeles is beginning a six-game homestand. The Sparks then play nine in a row on the road.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

AFL Betting Recap - Week 12
By Joe Williams

League Betting Notes

-- Favorites went 3-0 straight up in Week 12 (one game was a pick 'em)
-- Favorites went 3-0 ATS in Week 12
-- Road teams posted a 3-1 SU record in Week 12
-- Road teams posted a 2-1 ATS record in Week 12
-- The 'Under' went 3-1 in Week 12

Team Betting Notes

-- Arizona (9-3) had a little bit of a rough patch in May, but they re-established themselves as the team to beat in Arena Football with an 80-63 victory over Philadelphia (9-3) in the desert. The Rattlers have rattled off three straight wins, and they're 2-0-1 ATS during the span. The 'over' also hit for the fourth straight games, and sixth time in the past seven outings.

-- Orlando (10-2) grinded out a low-scoring 44-34 win at Jacksonville (5-6). The Predators snapped an 0-5 ATS skid, winning as a pick 'em. The 'under' cashed for the fourth straight games, and fifth time in the past six outings.

-- For the Sharks, the 'under' has hit in six of the past seven games after the 'over' went 3-1 in the first four games this season. The Sharks slipped to just 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS in five games at home this season.

-- The L.A. Kiss (5-6) added to the woes of Tampa Bay (1-10), covering as a 3 1/2-point favorite, doubling up the Predators 54-27. The Storm has failed to cover each of their past three. The 'under' result snapped a four-game 'over' run for the Storm.

-- Cleveland (6-6) evened up their record with a hard-fought win at Portland (1-10). The Gladiators booted a late field goal to help the Gladiators to a road cover, but as they bogged down inside the Portland 5-yard line with less than two minutes to play, the late defense helped the 'under' (109) just come in. That's two straight unders for Cleveland after a four-game 'over' run.

-- The Gladiators moved to 8-2-1 ATS over the past 11 games, while Portland slipped to 2-7-2 ATS over the past 11 outings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arizona Rattlers/Los Angeles Kiss Preview

Sunday 6:00 PM

The Arizona Rattlers (9-3) and LA KISS (5-6) will have their final regular season meeting at the Honda Center this Sunday. The Rattlers have won both meetings so far this season. Arizona looks to continue to add to their three game win streak after a huge win at home against Philadelphia. The KISS are coming off of a win on the road in Tampa Bay where they doubled up the Storm 54-27. The game is at 6pm and can be seen on ESPN3 and can be streamed on WatchESPN.

Sack Artists

When the Arizona Rattlers and LA KISS meet on Sunday one thing to look for will be the battle in the trenches. The Rattlers defense has a league high 20 sacks, while the KISS have allowed 15 sacks, which is second worst in the league. Arizona is led by Damien Borel who is fourth in the league with four sacks so far this season. The Rattlers have seven more sacks than the second place team the Jacksonville Sharks. If Arizona is able to penetrate the KISS offensive line, then they should be able to help the outcome of the game and create a lot of pressure on the quarterback.

Battle of Top Scoring Defense vs Top Scoring Offense

The Arizona Rattlers and LA KISS are the top scoring offense and defense respectively. Arizona’s offense, has been deadly all season averaging 67 points per game and the KISS defense has only allowed 46 points per game. Arizona’s defense, which is fifth in scoring defense allowing 49 points per game, will have a tough battle of their own against the KISS offense that scored 54 against the Tampa Bay Storm last week. Both of these defensive secondaries are having good seasons with LA having the slight edge with 14 interceptions compared to Arizona’s 13. Whichever defense can execute their game plan and slow down the other team’s offense sets their team up to get a very valuable conference win.

4th Down, Shutter Down

Rattlers opponents have one common theme; they have a lot of fourth down attempts. The Rattlers defense has answered the call on multiple occasions, only allowing their opponents to convert on 29 percent of their chances, which is best in the league. The KISS are one of the best fourth down teams converting on 56 percent of their chances. One thing is for sure on Saturday; these numbers will not stay the same. Whoever wins the 4th down battle will be in good position in this critical conference matchup.

The Passing Game

The Rattlers have been one of the best passing offenses this season and their league leading 122.9 efficiency rating is a big contributor to that. The KISS have the fourth best defensive pass efficiency only allowing a 103.2 rating. This battle gets more interesting because the Rattlers have the most passing touchdowns with 85 and the KISS have allowed the fewest with 51. Rattlers Quarterback Nick Davila looks to continue his impressive trend against the KISS where he has thrown for 43 touchdowns compared to only three interceptions. If he can do that, then look for the Rattlers to have an advantage that will help them in pursuit of a win in their final road game this season.