Saturday, August 26, 2006
English Premier League- Week 2 Predictions
Is Chelsea really slumping? Or will they regain control of their title defense? A good Blackburn side could answer there questions in this week's EPL. Liverpool will kick-off their EPL campaign at Anfield, while Arsenal and Man Utd will be playing away from home. Following is this week's schedule, along with predictions. The EPLPI stands at 9-9 this season. Check back after the completion of games for an update.
| Match (Home Team 1st) | Predictions | Actual |
| | | |
| Wigan v Reading | | |
| Charlton v Bolton | | |
| Fulham v Sheff Utd | | |
| Liverpool v West Ham | | |
| Man City v Arsenal | | |
| Tottenham v Everton | | |
| Watford v Man Utd | | |
| 27-08-2006 | | |
| Aston Villa v | | |
| Blackburn v Chelsea | | |
| 28-08-2006 | | |
| Middlesbrough v Portsmouth | | |
Thursday, August 24, 2006
EPL & Champions League Predictions Update
CLPI
The Champions League Prediction Index witnessed its worst round ever after the completion of the 2nd leg of the 3rd qualifying round, recording 2 correct predictions and 8 incorrect ones to go to 11-15 for the season, and 104-98 since February 22, 2005. PLAYBALL!!! hopes to do better in the group stage.
EPLPI
One week of the EPL is done. The English PRemier League Pedictions Index (EPLPI) recorded 9 correct predictions, including one on-target score for Chelsea's loss, and 9 incorrect ones. This takes the EPLPI to 9-9 for the season, and 202-257 since March 19, 2005. Check back soon for the next week of action.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round- 2nd Leg Result
| Match (home team 2nd) | Predicted | Actual |
| Dinamo Zagreb v Arsenal | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Austria v Benfica | 0-3 | |
| Hamburg v Osasuna | 1-1 | |
| Milan v Crvena Zvezda | 2-1 | |
| Salzburg v Valencia | 0-3 | |
| Lille v Robotnicki | 1-1 | 1-0 |
| Kobenhavn v Ajax | 0-3 | 2-0 |
| CSKA Moskva v Ruzomberok | 1-3 | 2-0 |
| Shakhtar v Legia | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| Liverpool v Haifa | 1-1 | |
| Dynamo Kyiv v Fenerbahce | 0-2 | |
| Galatasaray v Mlada Boleslav | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Levski v Chievo | 0-2 (Chievo) | 2-2 |
| Standard v Steaua | 0-1 | 1-2 |
| Liberec v Spartak Moskva | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Hearts v AEK | 1-1 | 0-3 |
Saturday, August 19, 2006
English Premier League- Week 1 Predictions
Welcome to another exciting season of the English Premier League Predictions. For the 3rd season in a row, PLAY BALL!!! will be forecasting the results of the EPL all the way to the end. Last season, the EPL Predictions Index (EPLPI) recorded 154 correct predictions, with 32.5 % of them being on-target scores. Overall, the EPLPI stands at 193 correct and 248 incorrect predictions since March 19, 2005. The best is yet to come. Following is the schedule for the first week of the EPL, along with predictions. Check back after the conclusion of all games for an update.
| Match (Home Team 1st) | Predictions | Actual |
| | | |
| Arsenal v Aston Villa | | |
| | | |
| Everton v Watford | | |
| Newcastle v Wigan | | |
| Portsmouth v Blackburn | | |
| Reading v Middlesbrough | | |
| Sheff Utd v Liverpool | | |
| West Ham v Charlton | | |
| | | |
| Man Utd v Fulham | | |
| Chelsea v Man City | | |
| | | |
| Watford v West Ham | 1-2 | |
| Tottenham v Sheff Utd | | |
| 23-08-2006 Charlton v Man Utd | | |
| Middlesbrough v Chelsea | | |
| Aston Villa v | | |
| Blackburn v Everton | | |
| Fulham v Bolton | | |
| Man City v Portsmouth | | |
Monday, August 14, 2006
New Fantasy EPL Season
As the EPL season approaches at warp speed, fanatasy managers are rushing to work for a new season of Fantasy EPL. PLAY BALL!!! will provide its annual tips for fantasy managers. These tips apply directly to Yahoo! Fantasy EPL, but could be used elswhere.
1. Newcomers
The newcomers are always a starting point since their prices are deflated. Sheva, Ballack, Rosicky, etc. are all available at sale prices. However, not all newcomers are guaranteed to succeed in the EPL. Who should you gamble on? Well Sheva looked sharp against Liverpool, and seems ready to take the EPL by storm. Ballack is 50-50 and Rosicky is a complete gamble. Who else? Zokora is taking corners for Spurs. If you are a fan of American soccer, Bobby Convey could be appealing. Sodje and Sonko seem to be a force in defence. Reading's attack produced many goals in the Championship headed by Lita and Kitson. It's worth a look. Others worth a shout-out: Mark Gonzalez if he keeps a regular place, goalkeeper Green for West Ham, and Shittu, if Watford show up to play.
2. The Regulars
The usual fantasy producers are not to be overlooked. These include the immaculate Henry, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, R. Ferdinand, Van der Sar, and Rooney. However, since it is not possible to create a team with all of these players, you have to choose wisely. Players coming from the World Cup on the losing side are a gamble. That includes all of the mentioned players. It may take a couple of weeks before some of these players are hitting on all cylinders. Lampard, Gerrard, and Rooney are gambles at the moment. Their pre-season forms are not comforting. Henry could start with a blast, although losing Ashley Cole could be devastating. Other who might be a quick hit in the beginning? Scholes has been in fine form. Ronaldo could be off to the races as he deals with backlash from the World Cup. Crouch could net once in a while thanks to newly aquired Bellamy and Pennant, who themselves could take the Reds to the top of the EPL with lightning speed.
3. Goalkeepers
If you do not want a pricey shot stopper such as Van der Sar, Cech, Reina, or Lehmann, take a look at the newcomers. Scott Carson, Green, and Hahnemann are good choices. However, starting off with two fixtures could prove costly if your goalkeeper is on the losing side both times.
4. Miscellaneous
It is best to go with a combination of established fantasy producers and newcomers. However, pick both sets wisely, as a slow start could cost you the entire season. GOODLUCK ALL!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round- 1st Leg Result
The 1st-leg is in the books as Milan, Liverpool, and Hamburg struggled to impress. Valencia are the shock as they fell to Salzburg 1-0. The CLPI for this round yielded 9 correct scores, including 2 on-target scores, and 7 incorrect scores. The grand total for the CLPI stands at 102 correct and 90 incorrect scores since February 22, 2005. Check back soon for more updates and predictions.
UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round- 1st Leg
The UEFA Champions League is back for its 2006/2007 version. Liverpool, Milan, Arsenal, Valencia, and Ajax are looking to advance to the groups stage. The Champions League Prediction Index (CLPI) currently stands at 93 correct & 83 incorrect predictions since February 22, 2005. Welcome to another exciting season of predictions. Following is the schedule, along with predictions.
| Match (home team 1st) | Predicted | Actual |
| Dinamo Zagreb v Arsenal | 0-1 | |
| Austria v Benfica | 1-2 | |
| Hamburg v Osasuna | 0-0 | |
| Milan v Crvena Zvezda | 4-0 | |
| Salzburg v Valencia | 0-3 | |
| Lille v Robotnicki | 2-0 | |
| Kobenhavn v Ajax | 0-2 | |
| CSKA Moskva v Ruzomberok | 1-2 | |
| Shakhtar v Legia | 1-0 | |
| Liverpool v Haifa | 4-0 | |
| Dynamo Kyiv v Fenerbahce | 1-1 | |
| Galatasaray v Mlada Boleslav | 2-0 | |
| Levski v Chievo | 1-1 | |
| Standard v Steaua | 0-2 | |
| Liberec v Spartak Moskva | 1-1 | |
| Hearts v AEK | 2-2 | |
