tadley

Sylhet have three wins, but all three came against the two weakest sides in the competition: Noakhali Express and Dhaka Capitals. Rangpur had a great start, winning 4 of their first 5, but have subsequently lost their last two. I don't think they have suddenly regressed and can beat a not-particularly-strong Sylhet side.

David Warner has been the standout batter for Thunder, hitting 130, 67, and 82 in the last three games. Despite his knocks, they lost all those games and have now lost 6 of their 7 games. After picking up a knee injury last time against the Heat, he is a doubt for this one. Without him, I just don't see where Thunder's runs are coming from. Renegades looked a side on the up after winning two on the trot, but a loss to Stars last time halted that run. They were undone by Harper and Rogers battering them, but I just don't see Thunder being able to do the same.

Dhaka lost last time to bottom side Noakhali Riders, making it now five losses from seven. Their bowlers struggled against the Noakhali top order and then lost wickets early for a 41-run loss. That was a poor effort and makes them vulnerable to Rajshahi Warriors. After losing to Dhaka earlier in the competition, they have responded well by winning four of their next five and are showing the form to reverse that defeat.

Mark Williams has had the better of Allen of late, winning the two most recent matches. However, his form coming into this is indifferent at best, with just one win from his last four games. Allen had a good run to the semis of the Scottish Open, so has been showing the better form.

Pirin Razlog have lost all 4 away games, but to be fair they have played the top three sides. Their other loss was to Montana via a final set, and Montana are strong at home with 4 wins from 5. So Pirin's away form isn't probably as weak as it looks. Dunav Ruse are a weak side with 9 defeats from 10. Their one win was over the equally weak Slaviya Sofia.

Losing 3-0 last time to struggling Levante is not a good look for Sevilla. To be fair, the scoreline probably flattered Levante, but ultimately they found the net three times and Sevilla didn't. Sevilla have players missing through injury and AFCON, so are understrength at the moment and look vulnerable in this one. Celta Vigo are going well, sitting just one place outside of a European spot. They have three wins and a draw from their last four, including a shock 2-0 win at Real Madrid. I think they should get something out of this.

Algeria have a soft group, so they should have few problems reaching the knockout stages. They stormed through qualification, topping the group with ease, scoring 24 goals and conceding just 8 from their 10 games. In my opinion, this looks a fairly open tournament, so Algeria are in with a solid shout.