Live sport is known for its uncertainty. This is one of the main reasons why it is so exciting. The odds of various outcomes can shift for an assortment of reasons. Team selection, recent form and external news events can all have a major bearing on how likely a result will be as predicted. Bookmakers consider all of the factors when offering odds on the different matches and tournaments. When you apply this to team sports, which players are available at any given time is essential for assessing the odds. In the UK Premier League, Liverpool FC are among the favorites for the title. However, the fact that three of their top players, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita will be unavailable at the start of next year due to the African Cup of Nations will likely impact their odds. Salah is expected to represent Egypt in the tournament, with Mane playing for his home nation of Senegal. Keita competes for his home nation of Guinea. The cup will take around a month to complete during one of the essential parts of the Premier League season. The odds for Liverpool’s games over this period will therefore be affected. The altering of the odds based on the availability of players is also seen in the NFL. The recent news of Aaron Rodgers being unavailable for the Green Bay Packers had a significant effect on the NFL betting odds. Rodgers is the number one quarterback for his team and the loss of his services has had a significant impact on their chances of doing well. A major change in the starting lineup such as this can make a team go from favorite to underdog for the ensuing match. Injuries, suspensions and tactical team changes are the biggest causes for fluctuation in how people place their wagers. For example, let’s say that a team loses their star player just a day before match day. This will have a huge influence on the betting line and the resulting odds. It could also be that a star player misses a game due to suspension or because the coaching team thinks that they need a rest before a tougher game in the coming week. This would be known as a tactical change, as the player is technically available, but being left out as the coach feels it more important to give them a break. Other factors can also cause a change in the odds. For instance, which team has had the better or worse recent form is often a decisive factor in the odds. A team might be deemed to be stronger by the experts, but if they are on the back of a string of recent defeats, the bookmakers will shift the odds accordingly. Media stories also play a part in how people make bets on sports. The media sometimes ‘hypes up’ locker room news to get more people tuning in. The ramifications for the eventual betting behavior are then amplified, having a direct effect on the odds. Sports fans looking to make a wager on a match covered by the media in this way should try and concentrate on the game itself and not the background dramas. Punters would be advised to focus on the team selection and form book. They could also ask themselves whether the story is likely to have any bearing on the possible result. Generally speaking, betting on anything is deemed surer when you can bet as closely as possible to the time of the event. This means you can act with all the available information and have the most up to date odds on an outcome. However, this will also affect the possible eventual winnings. Consider if someone is looking at making a bet on the eventual winner of the NFL. The odds will be more favorable for a team when there is a greater amount of time until the culmination of the season. This is because it is a harder bet to make with all the variables multiplying over the duration of the year. For this reason, it is usually wiser to wait until a more detailed assessment of the probabilities can be made later in the season. Watching how others are betting is also good advice for the sports fan. When new information comes to light about an upcoming game, people will shift their bets accordingly. Being aware of this is invaluable and demonstrates why the odds have changed. So, if an announcement about the starting team is made three hours before kick-off and a star player is left out, the money being bet on the opponents could change dramatically. The sudden influx of new funds backing a particular team will mean that the odds will shift to accommodate the change. It is in the nature of bookmaking that the odds can change right up until kick-off. The smart punter will be aware of this and be able to use all the latest information for a bet.

The first match of the round with number 12 in Serie A, the Italian football championship, will be played today at 19:45, on the "Carlo Castellani" stadium in Empoli, where the host team will receive a visit from Genoa. Last season, the two teams did not meet, due to the fact that Empoli played in Serie B, managing to return to the first division after only one season. The last direct confrontations took place in 2019 and were won by Genoa, 2-1 at home and 3-1 away. Empoli is doing very well after returning to the first league, having five victories and six defeats in the first 11 rounds of Serie A, being with Fiorentina the only teams that did not record any tie in this beginning of the championship. Last stage, Empoli managed an important away victory with Sassuolo, score 1-2. At home, Empoli managed a victory victory in the six matches, score 4-2 with Bologna, in the other matches suffering defeats on the line. Genoa is also this season at the bottom of the standings with only eight points accumulated this season after 11 rounds played. Genoa recorded only one victory this season, even in the first stage when they won 3-2 away against Cagliari. In the last two stages, Genoa ended in a draw, the matches with Spezia at home and Venezia away, score 0-0. Prediction: OVER 2.5 GOALS @ 1.65

Galatasaray vs Lokomotiv Moscow is one of the strongest duels of the round with the number 4 in the Europa League groups and is scheduled to start at 17:45, in group E. The round match between the two teams was a balanced one and ended with the victory of Galatasaray that prevailed with 1-0, due to the goal scored by Akturkoglu in the second half in the 82nd minute. Tonight will be the confrontation with the number six of the teams, the score being 3-2 for Galatasaray. Galatasaray have suffered only two defeats in the last ten official matches. Before tonight's confrontation with Lokomotiv Moscow, Galatasaray won the championship match played at home against Gaziantep, score 2-0. Galatasaray has a very good start in the Europa League groups, being the leader of group E after the three matches played, in which she registered two victories and a draw result. With a victory in today's match, Galatasaray ensures its qualification in the European spring, having great chances to finish the group on the first place. On the other hand, Lokomotiv Moscow comes after two championship victories, 2-1 with Sochi at home and 1-2 away with Nizhny Novgorod. With these two victories, Lokomotiv Moscow kept its 2nd place in the championship, but the distance to the 1st place, occupied by Zenit St. Petersburg remained five points behind. In the Europa League, things are not very good for Lokomotiv, which after three rounds played occupies the last place in the standings with only one accumulated point. Prediction: Galatasaray WIN @ 1.70

The surprising leader of group D, Sheriff Tiraspol, will receive the visit of Inter, in a match from the 4th stage of the UEFA Champions League groups, the meeting being scheduled to start at 20:00. Only one direct confrontation took place between the two teams, in the round, when Inter beat "Giuseppe Meazza" with the score of 3-1. Both teams are undefeated in the last three games, since the last direct confrontation, and tonight's duel promises to be extremely interesting but also important for both. Sheriff Tiraspol continues its perfect course in the championship, where it recorded two similar victories, 2-0 with Balti at home and 0-2 away with Petrocub. In addition to these two victories in the championship, Sheriff also qualified for the quarterfinals of the Cup of the Republic of Moldova, defeating Saxan Gagauz Yeri 6-0 at home. As I said above, Sheriff Tiraspol occupies the first place in group D, after the first three matches, having six points accumulated, as well as the occupant of the 2nd place, Real Madrid, a team that defeated the Santiago Bernabeu. Inter also comes after two similar victories in Serie A, 0-2 with Empoli away and 2-0 at home with Udinese, in the last match before this confrontation. Apart from these two matches, Inter also played the derby with Juventus on "Giuseppe Meazza" which ended in a draw, score 1-1, after Inter led until the 89th minute. After the first three rounds of the UEFA Champions League, Inter occupies the 3rd place in the group with only four points accumulated, and tonight's match announces a decisive one in terms of qualifying for the eighth finals of the UEFA Champions League, only the victory managing to keep them in the race for the first two places. Prediction: UNDER 3.5 GOALS @ 1.55