Ronaldo and Real Madrid will face Liverpool. Photo by Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
Our first losing piece in the last 8, the busting of the bookies was put on hold. Be we are back, with a sort of vengeance, as the Champions League final has arrived.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool
The venue: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv – the capital of Ukraine
In front of 63,000 fans live, and 2.8 million viewers worldwide, we get a cracker of a match between to of Europe's most prestigious clubs as well as two of the biggest stars.
Ronaldo, his name alone, draws the attention of even the less casual soccer fan. For good reason, as the Real Madrid striker always puts on a show, and Saturday will be no different. Ronaldo is scorching hot and leads the tournament with 15 goals this campaign. He has scored in 9 goals in his last ten matches. He also leads with goals scored in all competitions this season with 50.
His superstar counterpart, or the villain per say, none other than King Mohamed Salah, who brings his own scoring streak of 8 goals in his last ten matches. Fresh off being named the Premier League Player of the Year for netting a record-breaking 32 goals in a 38 game season, the Egyptian will look to break down a shaky Madrid defense, but one that's boosted by an offense that's scored in the last 12 Champions League Matches. Scoring won't be the problem; it will be the defense of Liverpool that will be asked to sustain heavy pressure for most of the match while trying to create from out of the back. The Liverpool tactics prosper when the high pressure and counter attacks are functioning correctly. The three-headed monster Liverpool has in Mane, Firmino and Salah take the smallest of space and turn it up-field into counters that leaves defenders on their back foot trying to recover.
The Pick
Matches like this require experience in moments where the game will be won or lost. Liverpool has given up a massive amount of goals in second halves, something I think derives from the fact the players exert so much energy early in games with he ultra pressure they are asked to exhibit. This match will see goals a plenty, as we have seen all tournament long at a pace of 3.2 per game.
Liverpool comes into this match as the highest scoring side in this competition with 40 goals; second place is Real Madrid with 30. The game sets up perfect for the fan of high scoring affairs, with both of these team generating plenty of chances and ranking in the top 5 in opportunities created, only trailing Bayern Munich
Real Madrid Team Total Over 1.5 5U
Real Madrid to win the Cup 5U
Over 3 5U
Both teams score and Madrid Win +240
Ronaldo Scores a goal 3U
Sergio Ramos scored +800
NBA
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers Game 6:
Cavaliers Team Total First Half Over 51
Cavaliers Team Total Game over 104
Warriors vs Rockets Game 6
Warriors -3 First Quarter
Warriors -6 First Half
Warriors Team Total Over 112 Game
UFC
Stephen Thompson +112
For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnowz on Twitter
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.