ANALYSIS MALLORCA VS VALENCIA:
Valencia played their first match following the flood disaster recently—putting on a performance "for the city and their neighbors." An emotionally charged game that resulted in one of their best displays of the season. Reaching that same intensity again? Difficult, if not impossible.
Ruben Baraja has indicated a desire to get Pepelu even more involved in the game and hinted at a possible formation change (to 4–3–3).
Rafa Mir, who, by the way, seems to be a rather unsympathetic character, is back in the squad. Otherwise, not much new to report.
Mallorca has made their best start (in terms of points) since the 2010–11 season. As for their gameplay? Even better!
Injury issues persist, and striker Vedat Muriqi is suspended—not ideal, of course.
However, this opens the door for Cyle Larin to step up. Expected to fill in, he's eager to play, always on the move, and involved. He also has a strong personal record against Valencia.
ANALYSIS SHEFFIELD UNITED VS SUNDERLAND:
Is it understandable that the odds are this high?
On one hand, yes—at least if you average out the first 17 rounds.
But when hunting for value, you have to look past algorithms and AI analyses—and search for signs of change.
Sheffield United has been solid all autumn, but not exactly prolific in front of goal. They've particularly struggled to break down deep defensive setups. However, tactical ingenuity seems to have provided a solution.
Three of their last four matches have seen over 2.5 goals. The one exception was a derby against Sheffield, where both sides had their hands firmly on the handbrake.
Their most recent outing ended in a 3–0 win, showcasing their newfound ability to unlock low 4–5–1 defenses. They've started pushing their fullbacks higher up the pitch.
Sunderland has been involved in several low-scoring affairs recently (another reason for the 2.29 odds), but there are valid reasons for that.
In their last match, they faced a team (WBA) where every player had clear instructions to "stay on the right side of the ball—0–0 is a great result." Despite this, Sunderland still created opportunities for one or even two goals (18–2 in shots).
I believe the Blades have realized they are at their best when they loosen the reins a bit. Under the floodlights at a packed Bramall Lane, I expect a more open contest than the odds suggest.
MALLORCA VS VALENCIA
2.10
CYLE LARIN – SCORE OR ASSIST
SHEFFIELD UNITED VS SUNDERLAND
2.29
OVER 2.5 GOALS
