Dyn Kiev – Fiorentina

Europa League football, with Dynamo Kiev hosting Fiorentina in the first leg of this quarterfinal tie.


Dynamo Kiev has no problems taking care of Everton last round in Ukraine … lost 1-2 away but won with an incredible 5-2 at home. A similar scenario happened in Round 32 vs. Guingamp. Kiev is incredibly strong at home, where they did not lose in one year to the day … on 16 April 2014 it was a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Shakhtar. Makarenko is out for Dynamo and Veloso is a doubt. But after a long time Dynamo has the offensive quartet of Belhanda, Yarmolenko Lens and Mbokani fit to play at the same time.

Dynamo Kiev projected lineup:
Shovkovskiy – Danilo Silva, Khacheridi, Dragovic, Vida – Rybalka, Garmash – Belhanda Yarmolenko, Lens – Mbokani.


I strongly suspect that Fiorentina is losing the battle with fitness … La Viola had a nightmare schedule in 2015 … tough match after tough match every three days, Cup, Europa league, Serie A. The last two matches were two 3-0 defeats to Juventus and Napoli, which saw Roma lose almost everything … the Coppa Italia and the last chance to fight for a Top 3 finish. Europa League is all they have left and you know they will give it their all and have the quality to qualify … but with the current form it will be tough. Visitors will not have Rossi and Basanta in the lineup. Pizarro will probably also miss the match.

Fiorentina projected lineup:
Neto – Richards, Savic, Rodriguez, Alonso – Borja Valero, Fernandez, Badelj – Ilicic, Salah, Gomez.

Dynamo has to get at the very worst a draw at home if they want to have any chance of progression. They have been impecable on home soil, both in the domestic competitions and in the UEFA Cup. With Fiorentina shaking badly at the moment, Dynamo has the power to pull off another great result in Ukraine … they are healthier and better rested. Also Fiorentina will probably not be too angry with a loss as long as they score a goal, considering the crisis they are in. Always tough to play in Eastern Europe, particularly in Kiev vs probably the best Dynamo team in 15 years. My tip will be Dynamo Kiev +0 asian handicap. Correct score prediction: Dynamo Kiev – Fiorentina 2-1.

Pick: Dynamo Kiev (+0 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.72

Troicki – Isner

Viktor Troicki and John Isner square off in the Monte Carlo Masters second round, with the odds on the American dropping pretty fast.

Troicki Isner live streaming tipsTroicki is having a good season so far, but he hasn`t quite found that consistency required at the highest level. After his fantastic winning run at Sydney, Viktor seemed to lose steam and hasn`t been able to pass the third round of any other tournament. Additionally, he lost to every Top 25 player he met. Trocki played his first match on clay in the first round here at Monte Carlo, but his win over in-form Martin Klizan wasn`t quite as impressive as it initially may seem – Klizan was obviously a little tired after winning the final in Cassablanca on Sunday and he clearly fell physically in the deciding set, allowing Troicki to take it 6-2 after two previous tight sets (7-6 5-7 6-2).

After an accident loss against Gabashvili in Houston, Big John backed up his fantastic recent form with an easy 6-4 6-4 win over Johnson in the first round here in Monaco – not the most dangerous opponent on clay, but Isner did the job easily, facing just one break point (which he failed to save). It was just the third match in which Isner got broken from the last 10! Theoretically clay works against Isner’s game, especially the slow one here at Monte Carlo – but Big John is well known for his surprising results and consistency on the red dirt when he`s in form. He stated before the tournament that he loves the surface and that clay has a very positive effect on his game, an effect which people don`t realize.



The Head 2 Head is 3-1 for Troicki (1-0 on clay), so Viktor seems to have a matchup advantage over Isner. However, all matches were pretty tight and the last one was in 2011, so the Head 2 Head might not be so relevant.

When you think Troicki – Isner on clay you immediately make connections in your head that the surface favors Troicki – particularly when the clay is so slow. It might, but only slightly. Isner is so much better than advertised on the red dirt, he`s in excellent form and he`s as confident as ever on this surface, according to his words. He played a solid match in the first round and he`s clearly the better player overall. Troicki hasn`t been that good recently and his win over Klizan in the first round came in special circumstances.

It`s really no surprise that the odds are dropping on an Isner win, I expect them to continue dropping until match time. The American is the favorite here by a decent margin, so my tip is Isner to win, possibly in 2 sets. Prediction: Viktor Troicki – John Isner 6-7 5-7.

Live streaming for the Monte Carlo tennis event available for players at Bet365.com.

Pick: Isner
Odds: 1.95

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls / NBA – The Nets must win this match, but one thing does not go in their favour and that is that the Bulls are also entering this match with a desire to win, because they have not given up on the third position for which they are fighting with Toronto. Especially now when Rose and Butler are again in the team. Begins: 14.04.2015 – 01:30 CET
Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are fighting a fierce battle for the eight (perhaps even seventh) position in the East. They are certainly not thinking about who to choose in the first round, because they want to extend the season and get in the playoffs. Thus everything is possible but to get to that position that leads in the playoffs they need victories. As things stand now, their biggest competition will be the pacers a team that is in great form, while Miami lost its track and they need a big surprise to come to eight position. Besides, the nets could also fight for the seventh place with Boston, but the question is who would be an easier opponent in the playoffs, Atlanta (if they are eight) or Cleveland (if they end up seventh).

Like we already said, their primary goal is get in the playoffs and thus save the season from which much more was expected. This team will certainly face many changes during the summer, in the organization (there are even some rumours about the sale of the club), and in the team. They can only win this match against the Bulls, because of they lose they would give additional chance to the pacers and thus create additional pressure for themselves. If the Bulls did not need a victory, it would be much easier, but now they will have the complete team of the Bulls which are in a mini series of victories.

Probable lineups Brooklyn Nets: Williams, Brown, Johnson, Young, Lopez
Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are coming to Brooklyn with two consecutive victories which leave them in the game for third position. Toronto is right next to them, but the Raptors also have a series of victories, so we will not know who will be third in the east till the very end. That is why the Bulls must record all victories till the end of the regular part of the season. They currently have the effect of 48 wins and 32 loses, and besides this match with the Nest, they will play one match against Atlanta, which will probably have a changed lineup and be very relaxed considering that they do not need to win. But the Bulls need to win against the Nets and they will probably give their best to defeat the Hawks. Nets have a very strong top five while the Bulls finally have complete team and they will be able to resist the hosts.

Rose is finally on the court, and even though it was announced that he would only ply 20 minutes, the importance of the last match dictated more minutes. His contribution is enormous, because his very appearance in the tram helps his teammates, because the opponent’s defence must pay a lot more attention to him. Butler has also recovered, which means that their guard line is complete, so Gasol and Noah should be much more relaxed. The bench is now stronger, because they have more solutions, and they can only hope that they will not have any more problems with victories.

Probable lineups Chicago Bulls: Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Gasol, Noah
Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls PICK

Given the importance of this match, and the necessity of the victory for both teams, this match should not be taken lightly, and it will probably be very hard and with a lot of caution, and that only means a small number of points in the end.

Pick: under 195.5 points

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 1.93