Hagen is the promoted side with no league win yet, and the thing that stands out is how many points it gives up. Frankfurt has shown it can score when it gets out in transition and hits its threes. I expect this to be a game with plenty of scoring at both ends rather than a grind.
Burgos have the tools to make this a closely contested game at Barris Nord. Their scoring inside and ability to create extra possessions meet a Lleida frontcourt already missing Diagne. That matchup is the key to my judgement, alongside the depth of Burgos’ scoring options.
KT's edge in this series looks more durable than the shutout score alone suggests. Bae Je-seong has handled this lineup recently, while Na Gyun-an has struggled in his recent starts against KT. The previous game also left KT's bullpen untouched as Lotte had to cover six innings after an early exit.
These two selections focus on teams poised to take advantage of favorable situational setups. In Spain, Granada's tactical adjustments offer a strong angle against a vulnerable home side. Meanwhile, in the Nations League, Lithuania's rest and freshness provide them with a distinct edge over an exhausted host.
Two end-of-season games where one side has something real to play for and the other doesn't. KT are chasing the KBO regular-season title and send out a starter in the best form of his year against a Lotte side that's out of the race. In Yokohama, the BayStars need their final game for playoff seeding, while Hanshin come in the day after clinching the pennant. Both picks turn on that gap in urgency, backed by who is actually on the mound.
The opening results tell only part of this story. Burgos put up 97 against Baskonia despite making just four three-pointers, while Lleida enters this meeting with a thinner group at center. The battle near the basket is the point my judgment turns on.
Both of these games come down to one side needing the result far more, or being far better built for the matchup. KT is closing in on the regular-season title against a Lotte team that is already out of the postseason picture. In A Coruna, a newly promoted home side whose defence got carved up inside on opening night meets a Bilbao group that has played together for years.
The market has aggressively favored the home side following their dominant shutout win in the previous matchup and their starter's spectacular September numbers. However, this heavy price completely discounts the depth and resilience of the league leaders, who are well-equipped to bounce back from an isolated poor offensive showing. While the recent momentum belongs to the home team, fading such a massive overreaction against a top-tier roster offers much better value. The difference will come down to whether the visiting bats can adjust and deliver the quality expected of a first-place squad.
Yokohama vs Hanshin is one of those late-season games where the table has already said everything. On our standings, Hanshin at 77-60 with two draws can't drop below the Giants' finished 76-64 even if they lose all four of their remaining games, and Hiroshima can no longer reach Yokohama's 70 wins. So this is Yokohama's last regular-season game before the first stage of the playoffs, and for Hanshin it's one of four left before they sit and wait.
Season opener, and both sides rebuilt over the summer. What decides it for me is how much each team carries over. Mielec kept the receiving and middle-block core that finished sixth last year, while Wroclaw changed its setter, opposite, libero and a receiver after winning only four games.
Two sides level on eight points, but they get there in very different ways. Granada have been the ones making the chances and losing anyway, while the Real Sociedad B side has not won at home all season and is short of bodies up front and in midfield. The game turns on whether Granada's territory finally turns into a result against a young team that rarely holds the ball.
Two away sides whose results are lagging behind how they actually play. Omiya travel to a Miyazaki team on a three-game winning run, but the chance numbers say Omiya are the better side at both ends. Granada go to Zubieta winless in four, yet they're facing a Real Sociedad B side that hasn't won at home and is short of bodies. In both games I'm backing the visitors' quality over the recent headlines.
This one comes down to a home side that can't create at Zubieta meeting a visitor who wants the ball. Real Sociedad B still haven't won at home this season, and they arrive short of bodies after a red-card game, a Friday friendly and a midweek trip to Leicester. Granada's four games without a win look worse than the football they've actually played.
This one looks like a low-scoring game, and the price has drifted toward the home side more than the standings and the head-to-head justify. The league leaders arrive with the best run prevention in the division against a DeNA lineup that has been scoring about three and a half runs a game over its last ten. What the game turns on is who owns the middle innings once the starters are gone.
Two KBO rematches pose different inning puzzles. NC kept adding runs against SSG across the middle and late innings in their last meeting; Samsung built an early lead against Doosan and then had to protect it. The interesting part is whether those rallies connect the same way when the teams meet again. I’m watching how each lineup turns its first opening into a full inning, rather than treating the previous scores as a script.
Azerbaijan against Lithuania is a rematch of a 1-1 draw a week ago, and the numbers from the two sides' other games suggest that draw tells you less than it seems. Azerbaijan turned a game against Liechtenstein into 25 shots and still drew 0-0, while Lithuania needed 16 shots to win 2-0 at Liechtenstein. What I'd watch in this match is whether Lithuania let Azerbaijan have the ball the way Liechtenstein did, because the one time these two met, Azerbaijan did not get that kind of game.
[2026 CONCACAF Nations League] Trinidad and Tobago vs Curaçao: Analysis and Preview Kick-off: Oct. 5, 07:00 (Korea time)
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Greece vs Germany Preview and Analysis Kick-off: October 5, 03:45 KST
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Republic of Ireland vs Israel: Match Preview Kick-off: October 5, 03:45 KST
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Wales vs Denmark Preview Kick-off: Oct 5, 03:45 (Korea time)
