Good Morning ☀️,

It’s Lucas here, your Chief Predictions Officer at What Are the Odds?

No Premier League matches this week. But plenty of Premier League news.

One of the top stories this week — after a long standoff, Newcastle just sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a (British) transfer record of £125 million (just shy of US$170 million).

But first, the kid’s been called up by Sweden for the World Cup Qualifiers, which brings us to this week’s topic.

The World Cup Qualifiers.

Here’s what’s coming up in this week’s edition of What Are the Odds?

• A giant batch of odds and predictions for the surest things (Ukraine vs France is the closest matchup) in this week’s World Cup Qualifiers. 🦵⚽

• A little Newcastle United-related trivia about one of the key figures in the Isak transfer saga. 🏟️🎭

• An Alexander Isak quote that will help us all remember what it takes to realize our dreams. 💪🔥

PS: This week, we’ve dropped the “why we’re watching” part of our predictions. Why? — Because these games were all selected for the same reason: one side has a big (if not massive) edge.

Sharing is caring: Help grow the team and show your friends you care — send them this link https://whataretheodds.io/subscribe

⚽ Greece vs Belarus
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Friday 05 September; 20:45 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Greece is firmly ahead in all key metrics here — unbeaten in 23 of their last 27 qualifiers, and consistently tight in recent matches (last 4 all under 2.5 goals). Belarus, on the other hand, has a qualification record that paints a very different picture — beaten in all of their last 13 away World Cup qualifiers (the last three by at least 2 goals!), rarely scoring, and performing at a sub-14% win rate over their last 29 games in all competitions. Given Belarus’s defensive vulnerability and shocking away form, expect to see Greece’s solid (albeit low-scoring) efficiency dictate the show here.

• Score prediction: 2-0 for Greece

Option #1

• Bet: Greece Victory

• Odds Range: 1.13-1.23

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.30-1.45

⚽ Ukraine vs France
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Friday 05 September; 20:45 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: It’s no secret that France is coming into this match with superior squad depth and much better form. And just in case that wasn’t evident, then their recent unbeaten record against Ukraine (2W-2D) should illustrate France’s clear edge. Of course, we can’t ignore the fact that Ukraine is usually quite resilient at home, but that might not count for much given their recent tendency towards defensive lapses. Further, the squad lacks the firepower needed to challenge France consistently. In short, expect this to be a mildly competitive match where France asserts itself early on and exerts enough control throughout the game to secure a narrow victory.

• Score prediction: 1-2 for France

Option #1

• Bet: France Victory

• Odds Range: 1.23-1.41

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.94-2.15

⚽ Faroe Islands vs Croatia
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Friday 05 September; 20:45 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Croatia is coming into this fixture as the clear favorites by a long shot, and data shows exactly why. On average, they net 2.1 goals per game while conceding just 0.4. Add to this the fact that they’ve dominated most of their recent away qualifiers (three straight wins by 3+ goals). The Faroe Islands, on the other hand, have royally struggled, particularly in defense, where they’ve been conceding at a rate of over 2 goals per game in all of their last 16 games — at home! This should make it clear what we should expect here, when Croatia's fierce attack meets the Faroe Islands’ porous defence — a one-sided fixture where the only unknown variable is the exact final score.

• Score prediction: 3-0 for Croatia

Option #1

• Bet: Croatia Victory

• Odds Range: 1.11-1.22

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.44-1.62

⚽ Italy vs Estonia
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Friday 05 September; 20:45 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: This is one of those games where it’s barely even worth justifying our final prediction (Italy victory). But since there’s some space to fill, here goes. In past head-to-heads against Estonia, Italy remains unbeaten (like, really unbeaten: 4-0, 3-0 in their last two). About the only thing Estonia has going for it is its occasional glimpses of talent against much weaker sides, like its 3-2 victory over Moldova. But Moldova and Italy are entirely different beasts, so don’t expect anything more from Estonia going down a clinical thrashing.

• Score prediction: 2-0 for Italy

Option #1

• Bet: Italy Victory

• Odds Range: 1.02-1.08

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.33-1.50

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Throughout the entire Alexander Isak saga, Newcastle’s chairman played a central role, from sending high-level envoys and attending key matches through to setting the overall board position.

But do you know who this mysterious chairman is? Let’s find out with a quick quiz from our friends at Masters of Trivia.

Question: Who is Newcastle United's chairman?

• A: Mike Ashley

• B: Chris Mort

• C: Freddy Shepherd

• D: Yasir Al-Rumayyan

Think you know the answer?

Read to the end to see if you were right.

⚽ Bermuda vs Jamaica
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (CONCACAF)
Saturday 06 September; 00:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Going unbeaten through their four second-round qualification matches, Jamaica has some serious momentum coming into this fixture, largely thanks to their offensive firepower that’s backed up by a solid defense (e.g., their 3-0 victory over Guatemala). Bermuda, by contrast, has shown little in the way of serious capability at this level, even if they have gotten the better of much weaker squads (e.g., their 5-0 thrashing of the Cayman Islands). In particular, their defense is a notable weakness (e.g., see their 6-1 loss to Honduras). Given this, Jamaica will likely dominate with sustained pressure, control the rhythm, and walk away with a clean sheet victory.

• Score prediction: 0-2 for Jamaica

Option #1

• Bet: Jamaica Victory

• Odds Range: 1.03-1.05

Option #2

• Bet: N/A

• Odds Range: [no other odds available]

⚽ Armenia vs Portugal
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Saturday 06 September; 18:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Portugal has gone unbeaten in their last 8 away World Cup qualifiers, all while scoring 2+ goals in each of their last 3 matches, with recent results (including a massive 5-2 victory against Denmark) illustrating this massive firepower and consistency. Armenia, on the other hand, is in poor shape — they’ve failed to score in their last 3 home matches, and have conceded in 21 games straight. That form has seen them suffer heavy defeats (e.g., 6-1 to Georgia) — an outcome that’s likely to reproduce itself in this game.

• Score prediction: 0-3 for Portugal

Option #1

• Bet: Portugal Victory

• Odds Range: 1.05-1.16

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.32-1.50

⚽ England vs Andorra
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Saturday 06 September; 18:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: No prizes for guessing who’s the favorite here — England’s performance over the last month has been nothing less than complete dominance, and that’s despite several major absences. Andorra, on the other hand, has gone scoreless across multiple recent fixtures (including their last three straight qualifiers) and has conceded multiple goals in most matches. So given that, expect to see England break through early, maintain control, break through a couple more times, and then walk away, leaving Andorra in tatters.

• Score prediction: 3-0 for England

Option #1

• Bet: England Victory

• Odds Range: 1.01-1.03

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.07-1.25

⚽ Austria vs Cyprus
🏟 World Cup Qualifications (UEFA)
Saturday 06 September; 20:45 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Austria’s recent form has been impressive, particularly their 4-0 victory over San Marino, which was followed by a 2-1 home victory against Romania. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you of their potential, their commanding head-to-head advantage over Cyprus probably will — unbeaten in their last six against Cyprus with a dominant goal difference (22-5). So, does Cyprus have anything going for it aside from a leaky defense (2.1 goals conceded per game) and toothless attack (0.9 goals scored per game)? Not really — the edge is clearly in Austria’s favor, and not by a small margin, either.

• Score prediction: 3-0 for Austria

Option #1

• Bet: Austria Victory

• Odds Range: 1.02-1.10

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.23-1.50

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Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool is the culmination of a dream — to play for a Champions League club.

But, if you’ve been following the story, you’d know that move didn’t come easy.

Here are a few words from Isak on the journey:

Moral of the story?

If you really want something, it won’t always come easy.

Be prepared to fight, and maybe even go out on a limb.

That’s how Isak realized his dream.

Want to learn more about Alexander Isak and Newcastle United?

Masters of Trivia is the only trivia app where every player is rewarded. Play all the trivia quizzes you can handle and earn real rewards simply for participating.

Take Masters of Trivia for a spin with the Newcastle United Trivia Quiz today.

PS: The answer to this week’s question was [D] — Newcastle’s Chairman is Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Discover more trivia like this with the Newcastle United Trivia Quiz.