MACGYVER DAILY: MASSIVE VALUE OVER THE WEEKEND

Finally the leagues are starting up again after weeks of beeing limited. So today i give you some picks from Championship and the Brazilian league.

Sheffield Wednesday – Transformed into a genuinely competitive team as soon as Danny Röhl took charge midway through last season. They’ve cleared out all the dead weight and brought in nine players of mid-to-high Championship quality. Ike Ugbo could be a real standout. The team now has solid support as well. A fitting task for the season opener. Plymouth doesn’t seem to have gotten significantly stronger since last year—when they were the only team that even came close to conceding as many chances as the punching bag and bottom-dweller, Rotherham.

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Watford is not a healthy club at the moment, borderline mismanaged. They have some individually good players, but as a unit, as a team—meh... I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up deep in the relegation battle this season. Millwall survived last season thanks to a committed and robust defense. They’ve now tried to sharpen their offense, and Macaulay Langstaff seems tailor-made to step into the "Number Nine" role. Will he score right in the opener?

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I have a sneaking feeling that Fortaleza is getting closer to their first home loss of the season. After all, they stumbled four times at home last season, even when they had better underlying stats than they do now after around 20 matches. Their points tally is undoubtedly inflated. They’re missing their top scorer, Juan Lucero, among others. Criciuma knows what’s coming. They’ll be under heavy pressure right from the start. But if they can just weather the initial storm, they have the ability to cause problems. They’ve put in several solid performances on the road, including against top side Flamengo, where they lost with honor. They recently faced Fortaleza at home and managed a 1–1 draw. Of course, it's tougher on the road, but at odds of 5.00, I’m ready to give it a shot.

ACCA WORTH TRYING

I really like the odds on Lucas Sasha to Get a Card @4.25 and Macaulay Langstaff to Score @3.05. I’m combining that with a draw bet from Serie A/Brazil.

Botafogo hasn’t been as impressive as their record suggests. They’re struggling with injuries and suspensions. It’s also not entirely unlikely that they’ll rest a few players ahead of upcoming (demanding) fixtures (Copa Libertadores knockout stages and a top-of-the-table clash against Flamengo).

Juventude is having a tough time, but they always put up a good fight. They’ll be without their first-choice keeper Gabriel, sharp midfielder Mandaca, and forward Lucas Barbosa due to suspensions.

Of course, both teams want to win, but I also don’t think either side would be too upset with sharing the points.