With a decent return of 23 points from 10 games, Sydney Thunder sit second on the standings, a whopping nine points shy of the summit. Also, they hold a mere three-point safety buffer in the playoff qualification places. Hence, it goes without saying that the Thunder will be desperate for a win against the Hurricanes to steer clear of the chasing pack behind them. Given their recent poor record, morale is expected to be abysmal in their camp.
As expected, Juventus stalled at the start of the season under the leadership of Andrei Pirlo. The Italian champion avoided defeats in the domestic arena, but very often shared points with his rivals, allowing rivals to go into a decent lead. At the moment, the “old lady” is on the fourth line in the table with 33 points, being seven points behind the leader of Milan, but having a match in reserve. Unlike their current rival, Juventus looked great in recent fights. After a sensational and even accidental 0:3 defeat to Fiorentina in the 14th round, the Italian champion pulled itself together and produced three victories in a row. The most important one can safely be called the 3:1 away victory over Milan, thanks to which the Rossoneri could not get into a serious lead. Juventus also failed to win the Italian Cup in regulation time this week. Having scored a 2:2 draw with Genoa, the old lady was forced to play in extra time. The case never came to a penalty shootout. Hamza Rafia’s goal allowed the Italian champion to reach the quarterfinals. More accurate soccer predictions can be obtained from the link provided.
