Shambolic on the last matchday, Sydney Thunder were taken to the cleaners by a rampant Melbourne Stars side, the latter racing to victory via a whopping 22-run difference. As they failed to get into their rhythm all through the game, the result was nothing less than they deserved. Now heading into their second league game, ST must raise the bar higher if they are to stand a good chance of progressing past the group stage. While the Thunders openers struggled, their middle order kept their composure. Pairing really well with Ale Hales in that unit, Callum Ferguson scored a massive 54 runs to lead his side to victory. Also, the spin trio of Tanveer Sangha, Jonathan Cook and Chris Green deserve praise for their work-ethic. Players to keep an eye on are Callum Ferguson and Tanveer Sangha.
Despite all difficulties associated with injuries to critical players, Liverpool manages to get out of the situation with dignity. Jurgen Klopp’s team have won first place in the Champions League group stage and are also tied for first place in the Premier League with Tottenham. The Merseysides are inferior to Spurs only in goal difference. It is worth noting that Liverpool scored 18 of 24 points in this championship at home. On the road the Reds’ results are much more modest. In five away matches of the championship the Merseysides drew with Manchester City (1:1), Brighton (1:1), Everton (2:2), lost to Aston Villa (2:7) and won against Chelsea (2:0). Virgil Van Dyck, Thiago Alcantara, Jerdan Shaqiri, Joe Gomez, James Milner and Diogo Jota are currently in the infirmary at Liverpool. The Portuguese only got there this week. The involvement of Kostas Tsimikas, as well as of Alisson Becker and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who are close to recovery, is questionable. More scientific soccer prediction can be obtained from the link provided.
