CFB, NHL, and UEFA Europa League — The Daily Card

Georgia Southern already beat Old Dominion 42-10 earlier this season and ranks significantly higher in nearly every statistical category — 69th in total yards per game versus ODU's 137th. The Monarchs' QB has been turnover-prone and ODU scores just 18.2 points per game against a Georgia Southern defense that has shown it can dominate this matchup. Laying 3.5 points against a team they beat by 32 earlier in the year is a gift — talent wins.

Nobody is giving UAB a shot at home, but ECU is banged up with Bowden, Spalding, Lorick all listed with injury concerns and Tavius Horne Jr. out for the season — that's a crippled offense walking into enemy territory. UAB's ground game is REAL with two 300-yard backs and a money-making kicker in Jonah Delange who can flip field position in a low-scoring grinder. Getting 5.5 points with a hobbled ECU offense in a defensive battle? The Blazers don't need to win — they just need to hang, and they absolutely will.

The crowd is backing the Rangers while completely ignoring that Igor Shesterkin is out for the SEASON and Joonas Korpisalo is also on IR — New York is trotting out a backup goalie into a hostile barn in New Jersey. The Devils may be sitting at 2-3, but backing a goalie-depleted Rangers squad at -218 juice on a road puck-and-a-half is exactly the kind of sucker play the public loves to make. Give me the Devils -1.5 at a juicy +180, punish the Rangers' netminding crisis, and laugh all the way to the window.

Lyon is decimated by injuries — Lois Openda, Moussa Niakhate, and Mohamed Ouedraogo are all out — while Crystal Palace's absentee list is comparatively minor. Crystal Palace's manager Pierre Sage knows this Lyon squad inside out from his prior tenure, and a well-organized Palace side playing at pick'em on the spread at plus-money (-105) is clear value. Getting Palace at essentially a pick'em line against a short-handed Lyon team at home is a price the market hasn't fully adjusted for given Lyon's injury depth concerns.

Crystal Palace are traveling to Lyon without four key players — goalkeeper Henderson, top striker Mateta, Tomiyasu, and Riad — severely weakening their squad depth in both lines. Lyon, motivated by a revenge narrative and pushing for six straight Europa League group phase wins, won their opening UEL league phase match and are the stronger side at full strength at home. With Palace's attacking options blunted and the draw already sending the bet home safely at 0.0, Lyon's home advantage and Palace's injury crisis make this the clearest edge on the slate.

Nashville SC sits atop the MLS table with a 19-6-3 record and a league-best +37 goal differential — this team is elite at home. Sporting Kansas City rolls in shorthanded with five players ruled out, including multiple defenders (Borges, Mosquera, Blorian) and midfielders, gutting their lineup. Talent and health both favor Nashville to cover the -2.0 convincingly at GEODIS Park.

Stuttgart is walking into Bratislava decimated — Mittelstädt, Zagadou, Diehl, Jaquez, and Tomas are all sidelined, with Nartey a doubt too. Slovan is healthy, playing at their Tehelne Pole fortress, and only needs to avoid losing by more than one goal. Everyone counts Slovan out, but a hobbled Stuttgart side on the road in the Champions League is exactly the spot where the underdog bites back!

The sheep are blindly backing the Brewers and their -1.5 run line insurance, but Milwaukee is limping into Dodger Stadium with Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester both buried on the 60-Day IL, gutting their rotation depth. The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman at home, and fading a banged-up Brewers squad at Chavez Ravine is the easiest fade of the week. The crowd is paying -154 for a team that can't even field a healthy pitching staff — I'll gladly take the Dodgers at +128 to cover the -1.5.

Atlanta United enters this matchup unbeaten in their last four meetings against CF Montreal (3W-1D since October 2024), while Montreal has gone just 1-4 over their last five matches and sits 15th in the East. Atlanta comes in fully healthy with Almiron and Miranchuk in form, whereas Montreal is dealing with multiple absences and just dropped a home result last week — getting plus money on a draw-no-bet equivalent against a fading opponent is pure value.

AS Roma are unbeaten in their last six matches (W3 D3), conceding just 4 goals with three clean sheets, while Real Madrid have dropped two of their last six including a 1-2 loss to Atletico Madrid. Playing at Stadio Olimpico gives Roma a critical home edge, and with key Madrid returners like Camavinga, Bernardo Silva, and Güler only just back from absence, squad cohesion is a concern. The +0.5 spread means Roma simply need to avoid a loss — a very achievable outcome given their rock-solid defensive form and Real Madrid's recent inconsistency.