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Tottenham Hotspur are one of several Premier League clubs reportedly interested in signing Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher.
Despite being a number two for most of his career, the Reds shot-stopper is one of the most highly-rated goalies in the Premier League.
Kelleher has only made 20 appearances in all competitions, including only four in the Premier League, in his five years at Anfield. But he is seen as a Premier League standard keeper after producing world-class performances in his few appearances for Liverpool.
The 24-year-old is under contract until 2026, but Liverpool are reportedly willing to sell him if they find a club that can pay up. The Reds have placed a £ 20 million asking price on Kelleher and believe they can find a club that will pay that sum.
So far, Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as the frontrunners for his signature. The North London club are looking to replace veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 36, who has made several mistakes this season. They want Kelleher to replace him as number one, with Fraser Forster retained as a backup.
However, according to the Irish Independent via Sportsmail, Spurs are not alone in their interest, as Brighton and Brentford will battle them for the Irishman’s signature.
Kelleher wants regular first-team football to increase his chances of playing internationally.
The Warriors will host the Lakers in Golden State Warriors VS Los Angeles Lakers; a tough Game 5 showdown, tonight live at the Chase Center.
Los Angeles is a match away from entering the Western Conference finals, winning both games in their home, after splitting the first two matches of the series. The Lakers won five games out of eight this season, displaying dominance in this match.
Today’s game should be highly entertaining for fans to watch, especially with the type of series on the line.
The Golden State Warriors fought their way back to take one in seven games after being down 0-2 in their first-round series. Being down 3-1, they’ll need to win the next three games if they want to enter the Western Conference finals. Having the best home record in the NBA at 36-10 should provide some help, even if they already lost to Los Angeles at Chase Center twice this season.
The biggest issue for the Warriors seems to be a lack of consistency, especially after playing three varying starting lineups across the four matches so far. This plus indecisiveness in key moments and it will be clear why they are now at the bottom. Golden State has had their back against the wall before, so it will be interesting to see how they respond to this one.
Just like the Lakers, the Warriors are healthy in this regard too. They can play in the absence of three players, but none of these absences will affect the results tonight. Patrick Baldwin Jr. with a toe injury is questionable, and Andre Iguodala (wrist) and Ryan Rollins (foot) are out.
Steph Curry (30.6 ppg) continues to lead the team with a historic postseason run but the lack of consistent assistance, particularly with the talent surrounding him is disappointing. Klay Thompson delivered only 9 points on Monday night, while the drop-off of any sort of frontcourt attack hinders the team too. They had the second-ranked offense in the NBA and placed top 10 in almost all offensive categories, plus offensive rebounding. Until they start shelling out more success on the offensive glass or from three-point range, they will keep struggling with the Lakers and their balanced scoring attack.
Betting On The Los Angeles Lakers
Regular Season Record: 43-39
1XBet Spread: +7.5
1XBet Moneyline: 4.02
1XBet Over/Under: Under 225.5
BetMGM Spread: +7.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 3.60
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 225.5
The Los Angeles Lakers dominated this series to now become a win away from the next round. Despite their losing record on the road this season, winning already at the Chase Center in this series should boost their confidence, beyond being up 3-1 in the series. The Lakers’ size caused a lot of problems on both ends for Golden State and although their depth has been hit or miss sometimes, they’ve played well enough to secure three wins. With two of their wins coming from single digits too, this next one may follow the same route.
Staying relatively healthy this postseason has helped the Lakers immensely and it’s no surprise that their play improved as they continuously had everyone available. Mo Bamba’s status is questionable with an ankle injury. It is unlikely that his absence will change the direction of Game 5.
Los Angeles has had the upper hand throughout this series and it began with their tenacity on defense. Although they were ranked 20th in the NBA in scoring defense this year, they strongly defended the three-point line all season, which is key in this series so far.
Anthony Davis (21.4 ppg, 14.0 RPG) leads the Lakers on the offensive end. Davis’ power in dominating frontcourt has caused a series of changes for the Warriors to adjust, as the Lakers remain one step ahead. Of course, there is also Lebron James (22.6 ppg) leading the way, including the supporting players that rapidly grew over the last few games.
MatchPlug Prediction
The Warriors may win this game and they’ll heavily rely on homecourt advantage to pull this one off. They lost just 10 games all season at the Chase Center and even with the Lakers bringing two of those defeats, their numbers show they are ready for a comeback.
Weak shooting has hurt the team, but Curry will get more support from the star players surrounding him. Fans should monitor how Kerr and the staff will adjust again, while Los Angeles will have an off night as they focus on winning the series.
In addition, the Warriors according to covers.com, are 4-1 ATS in their last five games succeeding an ATS loss.
Pittsburgh Pirates VS Colorado Rockies brings an end to the three-game set between Pittsburgh and Colorado.
The Rockies (14-22, 5th NL West) will play on the road at PNC Park Wednesday against the Pirates (21-15, 1st NL Central) in what is the third and final game of an ongoing series.
On Monday, Colorado won Pittsburgh 2-0 in the first game of the series, which broke the Rockies’ two-game winning streak, but they had won six of the last eight games.
Pittsburgh’s win on Monday ended their seven-game losing streak and placed them in first place in the National League Central, a half match ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Rockies will play today’s game without six pitchers and position players Sean Bouchard and Brendan Rodgers. While the Pirates play in the absence of six pitchers too, including position players Oneil Cruz and Ji-Man Choi.
The Pittsburgh Pirates ended their seven-game losing streak on Monday after defeating the Colorado Rockies. Most of their early season success, including Monday’s victory can be credited to powerful performances on the mound.
Pittsburgh has the 10th-best team ERA at 3.78 but dropped to 19th in WHIP at 1.34. The team’s starting rotation is the first place in baseball in Quality Starts with 19 in 36 games, while the pitching staff allows opposing hitters to average .245 at the plate which is 15th. Mitch Keller leads the Pirates in wins with four and in strikeouts with 56. Rich Hill will take the mound today. Hill is 3-3 with an ERA of 4.54 and 32 strikeouts.
At the plate, the Pirates are in 14th place in team batting average at .249 and advance to 10th in on-base percentage with .329 and slugging percentage at .420. They scored the 11th most runs with 165. Bryan Reynolds has been most productive at the plate for Pittsburgh with a team-best in doubles with 13 and RBI with 23, while Jack Suwinski the home runs leader has seven. Carlos Santana is second in RBI with 20. The Pirates have hit 74 doubles, 9 triples, and 37 home runs in 36 games.
Betting On The Colorado Rockies
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.36
1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.25
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8.5
The Colorado Rockies are last position in the National League West and most of this is because of problems on the pitching mound. They have a team ERA of 4.89 which is 25th and is 25th too in WHIP at 1.43. Their starting rotation has had 10 Quality Starts in 36 games which is 18th and the pitching staff allows opponents to average .265 at the plate which is 26th.
Ryan Feltner leads Colorado in strikeouts with 33 and Kyle Freeland leads in wins with three. Antonio Senzatela will pitch for the team today. This season Senzatela is 0-1 with an ERA of 1.80 and 3 strikeouts.
The Rockies’ strength in this series has been at the plate, but they must step up regardless. They are 13th in team batting average at .254 but dropped to 17th place in slugging percentage with .391 and 19th in on-base percentage at .318. These numbers shelled out 152 runs which is just 16th and playing half their matches at Coors Field; they should be scoring more.
C.J. Cron leads Colorado in home runs with six and Kris Bryant is second with five. Elias Diaz leads in RBI with 18 and Cron is second with 16. The Rockies have hit 74 doubles, one triple and 30 home runs in 36 games.
MatchPlug Prediction
Colorado won six out of its last 8 games and they are 5-1 in the last 6 when playing a team with a winning record. Pittsburgh has struggled lately, losing 7 of its last 8 games and has faced challenges against right-handed starting pitching, losing every of the last five in that situation.
The Rockies’ starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela had only one start after opening the season on an injury list. Senzantela conceded only three hits and one run in five innings last Friday in a 1-0 defeat to the New York Mets. He commands all his pitches through five innings but got no support from his team.
Rich Hill of the Pirates is off a terrible outing where he allowed 8 runs and 4 runs in 5 ⅓ innings with his team losing 4-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays last Friday.
Chelsea are reportedly considering a swap deal involving out-of-favour striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, defender Marc Cucurella, and on-loan Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix.
The Blues signed Felix on loan from the Spanish club in January and have seen enough of him that they want to sign him permanently.
However, their financial struggles mean that singing the 23-year-old might be impossible.
They are reportedly looking at a second loan agreement, at around £16 million ($20m), with Chelsea reluctant to meet Atletico’s £100m ($126m) asking price in any permanent arrangement. However, they are still hoping to find a way to reduce that figure.
And now, according to Standard Sport via GOAL, they want to use some of their players as bait to sign Felix permanently. As per the report, Chelsea intends to use Aubameyang or Cucurella as makeweights in a move for the Portuguese international– with Diego Simeone’s side said to be interested in both.
Nothing has been agreed for now, but talks between the Premier League and La Liga heavyweights continue as we approach the summer transfer window.
Felix has made 17 appearances for Chelsea since coming in January. He has registered three goals and seems to have established an understanding with Enzo Fernandez.
The 23-year-old is said to be open to the idea of remaining in west London as he clearly does not figure in the long-term plans of Simeone at Atletico Madrid.
Seattle Kraken VS Dallas Stars goes down in Game Four of the Second Round with momentum tilting from match to match.
Dallas won Game Two with a 4-2 victory but lost the other two games and is lagging in the series. Seattle won Game One in overtime and took Game Three 7-2 to take a 2-1 series lead.
The Stars intend to even up the series while the Kraken want a dominating 3-1 series lead, today’s game should be thrilling as a result.
Seattle Kraken dominated this series with their offense rising to the occasion to score 14 goals plus seven goals in Game Three. Jordan Eberle, Matthew Beniers, and Yanni Gourde have scored six goals and four assists to head the top two lines but the other offense members have been fantastic.
Alexander Wennberg, Jade Schwartz and Tye Kartye combined for three goals and three assists while defensemen Justin Schultz and Vince Dunn added two goals and four assists from the point to open up the offense.
The Kraken’s offense is good but their offense is a different story, allowing 10 goals in the series. Adam Larsson, Vince Dunn, and Jamie Oleksiak led the top two pairings but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing Dallas to find scoring chances as they please. In addition, goalie Philipp Grubauer struggled too, allowing 10 goals on 98 shots.
Betting On The Dallas Stars
Season Record: 82-47-21
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Total: Under 5.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.196
BetMGM Spread: -1.5
BetMGM Total: Over 5.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.20
The Dallas Stars are lagging behind in the series despite their offense stepping up and scoring 10 goals. Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn and Max Domi scored five goals and seven assists to lead the top two lines but the other offense members stepped up too.
Evgenii Dadonov, Tyler Seguin, and Mason Marchment combined for three goals and three assists while defensemen Jani Mason and Thomas Harley added a goal and three assists from the point to open up the offense.
Dallas’ offense is good, but their defense has been disappointing, allowing 14 goals plus seven in Game Three. Miro Heiskanen, Ryan Suter and Jami Hakanpaa led the top two pairings but the other members struggle, allowing the Kraken to generate shots on the net easily. In addition, goalie Jake Oettinger has performed poorly, allowing 12 goals on 88 shots.
MatchPlug Prediction
Seattle is off a dominating performance but Dallas wants to bounce back and commandeer this game. The Stars who scored 10 goals in the series, should have no problems piling on the goals with Pavelski, Benn and the other forward unit members taking the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with effective puck movement.
Dallas intends to curb the Kraken’s offense with Hakanpaa and Suter stepping up at the blue line and cutting off angles to the net on the rush while obstructing shooting lanes, allowing Oettinger to make many big saves. They should win deliver a powerful performance to win Game Four and even up the series.
Denver Nuggets VS Phoenix Suns are tied 2-2 after four series matches, with the Nuggets still unbeaten. Today’s game will be a decider for if the Suns will lead the series with a win in Denver or if the Nuggets will take back the series lead.
Denver may have lost Game 4, but it did not stop the narrative that Nikola Jokic is an unstoppable one-man squad in the series. The Joker beat the Suns in that game for 53 points on 20/30 shooting from the field while including 11 assists and four rebounds in under 39 minutes. With his performance, he tied for the second-most points scored in a playoff game ever by a center.
Although Jokic may not get 50 points again in Game 5, it is clear that there is no cure for The Joke. Deandre Ayton has nothing but cardboard resistance in front of Jokic, who averages 30.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per match since the beginning of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Fans can expect a continuous successful offence from him.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker will get the same thing they get on offense, but only when the supporting players improve will Phoenix have the most success in this series. In Game 3, TJ Warren delivered an auxiliary boost for the Suns. Game 4, Landry Shamet, gave 19 points on the strength of 5/8 shooting from behind the arc off the bench.
As the bench stirs to life, the Suns who average 117.1 points in the playoffs, put up 125.0 points on 53.4 percent shooting in Games 3 and 4 at home combined. Durant and Booker lead with 32.0 and 36.3 points per game in the second round. Phoenix is 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games after securing 125+ points in a past outing.
Phoenix has momentum, but Denver won’t lose three consecutive games, not with the way Jokic is playing in the series. Denver will win Game 5 and collect the 3-2 series lead.
Boston Celtics VS Philadelphia 76ers have both clubs dead even in the series after four matches. They play Game 5 today, and whoever wins will be just one victory away from a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston let another victory slip through their fingers. With a shot that went up 3-1 in the series, they couldn’t make fast stops and leverage the little clutch chances on offense in Game 4. No matter what, they will be playing at home where they are most relaxed. Jayson Tatum and the team covered the spread in nine of their last 12 games as the home team.
Lately, they have also been dependable in terms of beating the spread after a defeat, given that they are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games after a loss. Although Joe Embiid held them to a couple of points in Game 4, the Celtics can take solace in the fact that they hold the new MVP down to only 44.4 per cent shooting from the field in the series.
Betting On The Philadelphia 76ers
Regular Season Record: 54-28
1XBet Spread: +7.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.86
1XBet Over/Under: Under 212.5
BetMGM Spread: +7.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 3.40
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 213.5
Philadelphia is headed to Boston in high spirits after defeating the Celtics in Game 4, 116-115, last Sunday. This match showed what the 76ers can do when their two key players, Joel Embiid and James Harden are in sync. Embiid concluded with 34 points, while Harden created 42 points to come back from a forgettable match in Game 3.
Both players are now the first 76ers to score up to at least 30 points each in a playoff contest since 2021 when Embiid and Steph Curry achieved the same results against the Atlanta Hawks.
While the series is tilting towards Boston again, Philadelphia which is 4-1-1 against the spread in their last 6 games on the road, have good memories there, stealing Game 1 at TD Garden, 119-115. Philly wants to see more offensive activity from Tobias Harris, who had just nine points in Game 4.
New Jersey Devils VS Carolina Hurricanes will faceoff in Game Four of the Second Round.
Carolina won the first two matches on home ice but lost in Game Three with a four-goal defeat. New Jersey on the other hand made a statement with a 3-1 series lead as they hope to even up the series, so today’s game should be good.
New Jersey’s offense has stepped up as the team made its way back to the series, with 10 goals scored including 8 goals in Game 3. Jack Hughes, Michael McLeod, and Dawson Mercer delivered three goals and seven assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense line delivered too.
Miles Wood, Nathan Bastian, and Ondrej Palat combined for four goals and two assists, while defensemen John Marino and Luke Hughes added four assists from the point to place the offense over the top.
The Devils’ defense appears to have been cursed this series, allowing 15 goals. Jonas Seigenthaler, John Marino, and Dougie Hamilton have led the top two pairings but the other unit members struggled, allowing Carolina to find open shots on the net at will. Vitek Vanecek struggled too, allowing 7 goals on just 51 shots.
Betting On The Carolina Hurricanes
Season Record: 82-52-21
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Total: Under 5.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.165
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Total: Over 5.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.35
Carolina has been in charge this series with their offense leading the way, scoring 15 goals in the first three games. Jordan Martinhook, Seth Jarvis and Jesper Fast scored five goals and nine assists to head the top two lines but the rest of the offense line did well too.
Jordan Staal, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Sebastian Aho combined for six goals and four assists while defensemen Brett Pesce, Jacob Slavin, and Shayne Gostisbehere added one goal and five assists from the point to open up the offense.
The Hurricane’s offense has been excellent, but their defence, which allowed only two goals in the first two games, scattered in Game Three, allowing eight goals in the defeat. Slavin, Pesce, and Brent Burns head the top two pairings but the rest are MIA, allowing New Jersey to fire shots on the net at will. Additionally, goaltender Frederik Andersen struggled, allowing six goals on 59 shots, and was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov in Game Three.
MatchPlug Prediction
The Devils passed across a message with the Game Three victory and intend to possess the upcoming game from the first period. They scored 10 goals in the series and should have no issues bringing the goals with Hughes, Wood and the other forward unit members carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots.
New Jersey should limit the Hurricanes’ offense with Marino, Hamilton, and the rest of the defensive unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net. This should allow Vanecek to make many big saves. The Devils should Game Four to balance out the series with a powerful performance on their home ice.
Cubs VS Cardinals will see the two sides resume their NL Central rivalry today at Wrigley Field. The First pitch from the Cubs against the Cardinals will happen at 7:40 p.m. ET.
Jack Flaherty is starting for St. Louis (11-24 SU and 13-22 RL) today. Flaherty is 2-4 with a 6.29 ERA in seven past outings.
Jameson Taillon will mount the mound today for Chicago (17-17 SU and 20-14 RL). Taillon is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA in four starts.
The Cubs are -123 moneyline favourites and the game total is 7.5 runs scored.
Chicago has played better than was expected this season at 17-17 overall. It is left to see if they can maintain this performance to play at a Wild Card spot.
The Cubs scored 4.94 runs per game (10th) and hit .268 (5th) with a .762 OPS (7th). They hit 41 homers (11th) and stole 34 bases (5th) in 2023. 2B Nico Hoerner takes the lead in hits (46) and batting average (.309). While 3B Patrick Wisdom paces the club in homers (11) and RBI (21). Chicago’s pitching staff compiled a 3.34 ERA (4th) and 1.14 WHIP (3rd) with 17 premium starts (3rd).
James Tailon will play tomorrow for his team. He came back from the IL on May 4, allowing three runs on three hits and no walks over three innings versus Washington. Tailon was sidelined for a few weeks with a groin strain. He is expected to be on a limited pitch count over the next few outings until he comes he is back to full capacity on the mound.
Betting On The St. Louis Cardinals
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.136
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: Over 7.5
BetMGM Over/Under: 2.05
St. Louis lost eight out of ten games before it started its series with the Cubs. The team ended their eight-game losing streak on Sunday when they played the Detroit Tigers, securing a needed 12-6 win.
Cardinals scored 4.46 runs per game (13th) and hit .259 (10th) with a .747 OPS (14th). They hit 42 home runs (10th) and stole 22 bases (17th) this season, 1B Paul Goldschmidt leads the team in hits (43), batting average (.321), OBP (.409), and homers (7). St. Louis’ pitching staff posted a 4.59 ERA (21st) and a 1.46 WHIP (26th) with seven quality starts.
Today is Flaherty’s bump day for the Cardinals. He’s off disappointing against the Los Angeles Angels, conceding ten runs on nine hits in 2.1 innings. His past start against the Dodgers wasn’t good either (four earned runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Flaherty lasted five or more innings in his first four outings his season and may be in line for a solid come-back start today. He is 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 71 Ks in 15 career matches versus Chicago.
St. Louis gathered the necessary momentum in their series finale win over a Detroit team that is red hot, they scored 12 runs on ten hits, plus four long balls. Seven of those runs were in the bottom of the sixth inning after the Tigers scored five runs in the top frame and three of the homers were by Paul Goldschmidt.
Analysts say that will be the beginning of something noteworthy for the Cardinals and they will maintain this momentum against the Cubs in Cubs VS Cardinals.
Tailon is gradually making his way back to starting rotation after a brief stay on the Injured List, this may limit him today. He pitched just three innings for his first start since coming back but gave up three runs on a long ball. He didn’t make it past the fifth inning in any of his three last starts before the groin injury, which may make for a long night for the Cubs’ bullpen.
In his last two outings, Flaherty was off his game, but his pitching was good regardless. Although he has always been a fly ball pitcher, he has a career ground ball rate of over 41% – after his first three starts this season, his ground ball rate was at 54.1%. In those matches, he forfeited a combined three earned runs on nine hits (15.1 innings). He walked a concerning number of hitters (13) in his first two starts, but he settles since those two games, walking nine total over his next five starts.
According to experts, Flaherty is still in control and he’ll confirm this tonight. St. Louis must be consistent in their matches if they ever want to compete in the Wild Card race. They may keep this match close at Wrigley today.
Cleveland was victorious in four of its first five games this year but has since fallen to mediocrity. They are 12-18 in their past 30 games and have not won in more than two consecutive games in a row during this stretch.
Shane Bieber (2-1. 2.96 ERA) the Guardians’ ace will want to get the team back on the Saddle. All-time Bieber is 8-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 12 career starts against Detroit. To assist Shane, will be a bullpen that is fifth in MLB with a 3.22 ERA. Cleveland is 21st with -5 runs saved.
Cleveland’s offense has struggled greatly, placing 29th scoring 3.5 runs per game and a .223 batting average. The team has more speed than strength, ranking 3rd position with over a stolen base per match. Guardians are unresponsive in homers hit per game. Jose Ramirez leads them with a .281 batting average, four home runs and 19 RBI.
Betting On The Detroit Tigers
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.908
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.65
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7.5
Detroit won six of its last seven games after Monday’s 6-2 win against Cleveland. Riley Greene leads the team with two RBI in the win, followed by Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry, Nick Maton, and Andy Ibanez driving in a run too.
Ibanez scored three runs and hit his first homer of the season. The Tigers are now second in the AL Central trailing behind the Minnesota Twins by 2.5 games.
This season, the Tigers are 28th, with an average of 3.75 runs per game, but are better at home, where they rank 19th with 4.3 runs per game. Today, right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-1, 5.14 ERA) will be sent out by Detroit. Lorenzen broke into the Major Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 and is 32-20 with a 4.14 ERA in 354 career appearances and 48 starts.
The Tigers’ bullpen is 20th with a 4.10 ERA. Their biggest power has been on the field, where they are the third-best team defensively with +20 runs saved.
MatchPlug Prediction
Shane Bieber powered through his first 7 starts for Cleveland, but a lack of run assistance has been a problem. Despite his efforts, the team won just two of the 7 matches he started this season, and one of those victories came by just a run.
Lorenzen on the other hand, has been hit and miss with two bad starts and two great starts, but moving against a light-batting Cleveland, MLB Expert Picks say Detroit should keep this match close, if not win the whole thing.
