Good Morning ☀️,

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

This week, we’re going hard.

Real hard.

Okay, maybe not that sort of hard.

But we are delivering one of the hardest-hitting odds and predictions roundups we’ve ever put together — it’s 100% sure things all the way down.

Here’s what else is coming up in this week’s What Are the Odds?

• We’ve pulled out the most uneven matchups in this week’s Europa Conference Qualifications to give you one giant batch of sure things. 🦵⚽

• Sticking with our hard-hitting theme, we drop some seriously hard-hitting halftime entertainment, courtesy of our friends at Masters of Trivia. 🏟️👊

• A Sylvester Stallone quote to remind us that sometimes, it’s not how hard we can hit back that really counts. 🔥

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This week’s top tips and score predictions, brought to you by CXSports — the leader in odds and score predictions.

⚽ FC Milsami vs SS Virtus
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 18:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Considering they’re playing at home, Milsami are coming into this game with some serious momentum — so far they’ve gone unbeaten at home in the Europa Conference and Champions League qualifiers. Virtus, on the other hand, have struggled big time in European matches — so much so that they’ve failed to win so much as a single qualification fixture to date (and let’s not talk about the massive losses they’ve suffered!). Ultimately, this game only has one realistic outcome — Milsami takes control early and doesn’t let up.

• Score prediction: 2-0 for FC Milsami

Option #1

• Bet: FC Milsami Victory

• Odds Range: 1.11-1.23

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.35-1.53

⚽ Anderlecht vs FC Sheriff Tiraspol
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 20:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Anderlecht are carrying some seriously solid form into this game, with six victories in their last eight matches (domestic and continental matches). Meanwhile, Sheriff are looking vulnerable, particularly in defens,e where they’ve come under pressure (and cracked) at the European level to the point of conceding seven goals to Utrecht in the last round (4–1 away, 3–1 home). Unless they can pull something out of the hat here and patch up their leaky defense, they’ve got less than no hope against Anderlecht.

• Score prediction: 3-0 for Anderlecht

Option #1

• Bet: Anderlecht Victory

• Odds Range: 1.15-1.29

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.51-1.73

🏟 AZ Alkmaar vs Vaduz
⚽ Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 20:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Alkmaar have shown some explosive attacking form at home lately, including a massive 5 goals at home against Ilves that delivered them a massive aggregate turnaround in the last round, along with multiple other high-scoring wins that’ve seen them average 4 goals per match this season. And while Vaduz has shown it can certainly punch above its weight (their performance against Dungannon was impressive, all things considered), they’ve still failed to deliver any meaningful consistency on the road. In short, this game’s Alkmaar’s for the taking.

• Score prediction: 3-0 for AZ Alkmaar

Option #1

• Bet: AZ Alkmaar Victory

• Odds Range: 1.01-1.07

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.46-1.65

⚽ Sparta Prague vs Ararat Armenia
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 20:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Both of these teams are arriving with some serious momentum behind them — Sparta advanced 5-2 on aggregate in the last round, and Ararat Armenia advanced 6-1. However, while Ararat Armenia might look more impressive on paper, let’s not forget who they faced in the last round — Zimbru Chișinău, a vastly inferior team to Aktobe, which Sparta Prague faced in the last round. In fact, Ararat Armenia has a history of faltering against stronger continental teams (like Sparta Prague), so while their run has looked impressive to date, that narrative ends right here.

• Score prediction: 3-0 for Sparta Prague

Option #1

• Bet: Sparta Prague Victory

• Odds Range: 1.08-1.17

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.35-1.62

Want to get the best odds on these predictions?

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In sticking with this week’s theme (“hard”), it only seemed natural that we should drop a little trivia from one of the “hardest” movies the world has ever seen — The Expendables.

Directed by Stallone, and featuring everyone from Stallone himself through to Jet Li, Terry Crews, and even a cameo by the original hardman himself — Arnold Schwarzenegger — there isn’t much out there that hits any harder.

So with that out of the way, let’s see how much you know about The Expendables with a little trivia quiz, courtesy of our friends at Masters of Trivia.

Question: What is the primary mission of the Expendables in The Expendables?

• A: Rescue hostages in Somalia

• B: Overthrow a Latin American dictator

• C: Retrieve stolen nuclear weapons

• D: Protect a U.S. ambassador

Think you know the answer?

Read to the end to see if you were right.

⚽ St Patrick's Athletic vs Besiktas
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 20:45 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Some people consider the Irish to be a lucky people. There’s even a saying — the luck of the Irish. And so far, that might have held true for St Patrick's Athletic. Unfortunately, however, the power of 4- and 5-leaf clovers has its limits, and those limits might just be Besiktas — a squad with true European pedigree and a significantly higher-quality squad. Ultimately, this means Besiktas will likely dominate possession, stonewall in defense, and convert several of what will no doubt be a flurry of chances.

• Score prediction: 0-3 for Besiktas

Option #1

• Bet: Besiktas Victory

• Odds Range: 1.09-1.24

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.46-1.70

⚽ HNK Hajduk Split vs FK Dinamo Tirana
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 21:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: It’s no secret that, compared to Dinamo Tirana, Hajduk Split have a much stronger track record in Europe (go take a look at their respective UEFA club coefficients if this is news to you). It’s also no secret that Hadjuk’s ability to score at home is exceptional, while Dinamo Tirana struggles on the road. Add those two facts together, and you more or less have everything you need to predict how this match plays out.

• Score prediction: 2-0 for HNK Hadjuk

Option #1

• Bet: HNK Hadjuk Victory

• Odds Range: 1.08-1.20

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.45-1.73

⚽ Larne FC vs Santa Clara
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 21:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Larne barely scraped through the last round. In fact, they’re only here thanks to a couple of lucky penalty shootouts. Santa Clara, on the other hand, advanced comfortably after taking a comfortable 2-0 home victory and a 2-1 away victory (4-1 on aggregate). And while we might be tempted to write this off as “Santa Clara faced a lower-quality opponent”, that’s not the case at all. The real story behind this start difference is that Santa Clara simply has a much stronger pedigree compared to Larne, particularly where it matters (scoring goals). In short, this match only has one realistic outcome.

• Score prediction: 0-2 for Santa Clara

Option #1

• Bet: Santa Clara Victory

• Odds Range: 1.17-1.36

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.32-1.57

⚽ Rapid Wien vs Dundee United
🏟 Europa Conference League Qualification (Round 3)
Thursday 07 August; 21:00 (Europe/Paris)

• CXSports says: Rapid Wien have been dominant in their recent games — five wins in their last six, including a 4–2 home victory over Decic. Combine that momentum with their superior European experience and clear home advantage, and they will likely prove to be a little too much for Dundee United to handle. That’s not to say Dundee United can’t put up a decent performance when they’re having their day. However, with heavy squad rotations (11 signings this summer) and an over-reliance on key players, that day isn’t going to be today.

• Score prediction: for Rapid Wien

Option #1

• Bet: Rapid Wien Victory

• Odds Range: 1.15-1.30

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.57-1.83

Make your sportsbook work for you!

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Your weekly dose of inspiration, brought to you by Masters of Trivia.

When you think of hard men, there ain’t many names that rank higher than Sylvester Stallone.

So what’s the Hollywood legend got to say about being “hard”?

Moral of the story?

Want to learn more about Sylvester Stallone?

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 Sylvester Stallone Trivia Quiz today.

PS: The answer to this week’s question was [B] — The Expendables’ mission was to overthrow a Latin American dictator. Discover more trivia like this with The Expendables Trivia Quiz.