Foo_Fighter

I'm gonna throw myself into the challengers today a bit with going for Facundo.
Facundo Bagnis to beat (-1.5 sets) Nicolas Kicker at 2.38 with Unibet
I've seen Bagnis play lately, he's been impressive on the clay in South America and should be the favourite here even on hardcourt and I think this price feels very likely to come in since Bagnis already has won his 2 opening matches in Temuco by 2-0 and leads the head to head here by 3-1 and has won the last 2 matches 2-0 in this matchup without much fuss albeit on clay and this is hardcourt.
First of all Facundo is a better player than Nicolas now and has been for most of their careers and when seeing Facundo play in the semi last week on clay in Brazil he served really good all match and especially the last 2 sets and the brazilian Felipe Meligeni choked pretty heavily after he had taken first set. But this time Facundo wont lose first set because this isn't a semifinal therefore less nerves for Facundo and I feel no worries firstly because Nico had troubles beating Nico Alvarez and Lucas Reis Da Silva the first two rounds and Facundo has been cruising first two rounds and third if you serve well on hard it matters even more than on clay and Facundos serve is so much better than the one of Nicolas (he may be named Kicker but I've not seen much kick in his serve so far). So I expect this to go Facundos way more or less without any bigger fuss again. This is quarterfinal of Temuco in Chile on hard.

I did. I felt that Ruud going 3/3 seemed like overkill, so yes, in combination with what you highlighted about Ruud, his record against the lefties etc, I chose to go with the Spaniard at great odds. 

Really thought they would overcome the obstacle of Italy. I mean, no Sinner, no Berrettini, yet they find a way to get eliminated...?

Davidovich Fokina is a young, talented and fearless tennis player. And he happens to be one of the very few Spanish players who actually prefer to play on fast surfaces... I would have gone with him as I said on my initial post about the DC quarterfinals.

yeah.. the doubles kind of worked as insurance premiums; I purchased Croatia exactly because of Mektic/Pavic, as I thought it would be extremely hard for Spain to win both singles. 
 
We had the exact same mindset.

You have a really good eye for tennis players! Fokina is one of the most talented players we have had in the last decade. If tennis was all technique, Fokina would be a Top 10 player. The problem with him is his mentality and his physical conditions.
He relapsed from his knee injury, that's why he's not here.
@CzechPunter When I and @Foo_Fighter made our initial posts, USA was at 1.61 (bet365). Now, odds have dropped to 1.28 (bet365).

Looking at how today went, I feel quite confident about the USA taking the win tomorrow, though the odds are rather short. Should be closed out in the singles, hopefully.

yeah.. the doubles kind of worked as insurance premiums; I purchased Croatia exactly because of Mektic/Pavic, as I thought it would be extremely hard for Spain to win both singles. 
 
We had the exact same mindset.

Cilic 100%. Capable of the best and also the worst. I was very confident Croatia was going to win this, but I thought they were going to need Mektic/Pavic to close it. 

Croatia beats Spain 2-0. 

Croatia beats Spain 2-0. 

I wanna see a Croatia vs USA final.

I wanna see a Croatia vs USA final.

I wanna see a Croatia vs USA final.

The winner of the Croatia - Spain will face the winner of these 2. The no presence of Kokkinakis (Australia) and Alcaraz (Spain) clearly benefits Croatia. IMO, their chances for reaching the Final now are big.

it was a major surprise. Argentina is overhyped though, mostly because it's Messi's final World Cup and everyone expects him to win a trophy.

I'm pretty much the same as you guys, though the home conditions could do it for the Spaniards, Coric can be a bit of a headcase still. Canada and the USA look the best to me overall, with the USA being a bit more balanced and perhaps having more team chemistry as well. 

what's your thoughts on this year's DC in Malaga?
Quarterfinals:
Italy vs USA
Germany vs Canada
Australia vs Netherlands 
Croatia vs Spain
 
My picks in bold. I leave the tie between Australia and Netherlands as a pure toss-up.
I think Germany without Zverev has less than 15% chance to advance to the semifinals. Canada with FAA on its squad is an awfully strong team, especially on indoor hard, which is the surface this tournament is played on. It's a shame Sascha is unavailable, I'm sure many fans would anticipate a blockbuster match between him and FAA.
Spain has been hit hard by the withdrawal of Alcaraz due to his latest injury. Can Carreno, RBA, Fokina(?), Ramos(?) defeat the likes of Coric, Cilic and Mektic/Pavic? I highly doubt it. RBA's decline is massive. Carreno Busta is a reliable player, but I don't think he fancies these fast indoor hard courts... Fokina might actually be a better choice for the hosts. 
Italy won't have Berrettini and Sinner as they're both injured. Their team consists of Sonego, Musetti and Fognini/Bolelli. Now, unlike Italy, Team USA has plenty of extremely formidable players. Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz & Jack Sock will probably be on their final squad. Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had career-best seasons. Sock is one of the best doubles players in the world. It's just hard to imagine the current Italian team defeating this team of America.

Paddy Power have the US at 9/2 outright, with the cash out option open currently. 
They might close off the cash out option though, not sure, but if they don't and the US beat Italy, then their odds will shorten and we could already be in profit. Going to throw something on this (not the house mind you!) ?

I doubt anyone picked the correct 6-2 England scoreline , if so , give em the cash now ?

Good choices. This is how I see the matches.
Spain vs Croatia. I think the only way for Spain to win this is winning the 2 single points, which is unlikely to happen. Mektic/Pavic are so much better than Granollers/Pedro..., so if Cilic or Coric get a point then Mektic/Pavic should finish the job with ease. 
Italy vs USA. Tiafoe and Fritz are the favorite against Sonego and Musetti. They even are the favorites for the doubles point... cause I think Sock/Paul are better than Fognini/Bolelli.
Germany vs Canada. Shapo and Auger are the favorites against Struff and Otte. Germany has a really good doubles pair (Krawietz/Puetz), so things can get ugly for Canada if the germans get a point in the singles. If that happens, I expect Shapo and Felix to play the doubles cause they have demonstrated a really good chemistry. As I said, the germans will need to get a point in the singles but that won't be easy. If they can do that, then I think it will be a 50/50. 
Australia vs Netherlands. 50/50.

what's your thoughts on this year's DC in Malaga?
Quarterfinals:
Italy vs USA
Germany vs Canada
Australia vs Netherlands 
Croatia vs Spain
 
My picks in bold. I leave the tie between Australia and Netherlands as a pure toss-up.
I think Germany without Zverev has less than 15% chance to advance to the semifinals. Canada with FAA on its squad is an awfully strong team, especially on indoor hard, which is the surface this tournament is played on. It's a shame Sascha is unavailable, I'm sure many fans would anticipate a blockbuster match between him and FAA.
Spain has been hit hard by the withdrawal of Alcaraz due to his latest injury. Can Carreno, RBA, Fokina(?), Ramos(?) defeat the likes of Coric, Cilic and Mektic/Pavic? I highly doubt it. RBA's decline is massive. Carreno Busta is a reliable player, but I don't think he fancies these fast indoor hard courts... Fokina might actually be a better choice for the hosts. 
Italy won't have Berrettini and Sinner as they're both injured. Their team consists of Sonego, Musetti and Fognini/Bolelli. Now, unlike Italy, Team USA has plenty of extremely formidable players. Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz & Jack Sock will probably be on their final squad. Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had career-best seasons. Sock is one of the best doubles players in the world. It's just hard to imagine the current Italian team defeating this team of America.

what's your thoughts on this year's DC in Malaga?
Quarterfinals:
Italy vs USA
Germany vs Canada
Australia vs Netherlands 
Croatia vs Spain
 
My picks in bold. I leave the tie between Australia and Netherlands as a pure toss-up.
I think Germany without Zverev has less than 15% chance to advance to the semifinals. Canada with FAA on its squad is an awfully strong team, especially on indoor hard, which is the surface this tournament is played on. It's a shame Sascha is unavailable, I'm sure many fans would anticipate a blockbuster match between him and FAA.
Spain has been hit hard by the withdrawal of Alcaraz due to his latest injury. Can Carreno, RBA, Fokina(?), Ramos(?) defeat the likes of Coric, Cilic and Mektic/Pavic? I highly doubt it. RBA's decline is massive. Carreno Busta is a reliable player, but I don't think he fancies these fast indoor hard courts... Fokina might actually be a better choice for the hosts. 
Italy won't have Berrettini and Sinner as they're both injured. Their team consists of Sonego, Musetti and Fognini/Bolelli. Now, unlike Italy, Team USA has plenty of extremely formidable players. Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz & Jack Sock will probably be on their final squad. Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had career-best seasons. Sock is one of the best doubles players in the world. It's just hard to imagine the current Italian team defeating this team of America.

what's your thoughts on this year's DC in Malaga?
Quarterfinals:
Italy vs USA
Germany vs Canada
Australia vs Netherlands 
Croatia vs Spain
 
My picks in bold. I leave the tie between Australia and Netherlands as a pure toss-up.
I think Germany without Zverev has less than 15% chance to advance to the semifinals. Canada with FAA on its squad is an awfully strong team, especially on indoor hard, which is the surface this tournament is played on. It's a shame Sascha is unavailable, I'm sure many fans would anticipate a blockbuster match between him and FAA.
Spain has been hit hard by the withdrawal of Alcaraz due to his latest injury. Can Carreno, RBA, Fokina(?), Ramos(?) defeat the likes of Coric, Cilic and Mektic/Pavic? I highly doubt it. RBA's decline is massive. Carreno Busta is a reliable player, but I don't think he fancies these fast indoor hard courts... Fokina might actually be a better choice for the hosts. 
Italy won't have Berrettini and Sinner as they're both injured. Their team consists of Sonego, Musetti and Fognini/Bolelli. Now, unlike Italy, Team USA has plenty of extremely formidable players. Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz & Jack Sock will probably be on their final squad. Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had career-best seasons. Sock is one of the best doubles players in the world. It's just hard to imagine the current Italian team defeating this team of America.

what's your thoughts on this year's DC in Malaga?
Quarterfinals:
Italy vs USA
Germany vs Canada
Australia vs Netherlands 
Croatia vs Spain
 
My picks in bold. I leave the tie between Australia and Netherlands as a pure toss-up.
I think Germany without Zverev has less than 15% chance to advance to the semifinals. Canada with FAA on its squad is an awfully strong team, especially on indoor hard, which is the surface this tournament is played on. It's a shame Sascha is unavailable, I'm sure many fans would anticipate a blockbuster match between him and FAA.
Spain has been hit hard by the withdrawal of Alcaraz due to his latest injury. Can Carreno, RBA, Fokina(?), Ramos(?) defeat the likes of Coric, Cilic and Mektic/Pavic? I highly doubt it. RBA's decline is massive. Carreno Busta is a reliable player, but I don't think he fancies these fast indoor hard courts... Fokina might actually be a better choice for the hosts. 
Italy won't have Berrettini and Sinner as they're both injured. Their team consists of Sonego, Musetti and Fognini/Bolelli. Now, unlike Italy, Team USA has plenty of extremely formidable players. Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz & Jack Sock will probably be on their final squad. Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had career-best seasons. Sock is one of the best doubles players in the world. It's just hard to imagine the current Italian team defeating this team of America.