Tips of the day

FriendliesLost0:1

GreeceItaly

Why this pick: This friendly comes in a rebuild phase for Italy, with a heavily rotated squad and many young players gaining their first senior international experience. This naturally brings inconsistency, especially in defensive coordination. Greece, meanwhile, remain a highly structured team at home, relying on compact defending and fast transitions. They are comfortable playing without the ball and waiting for mistakes. With Italy’s inexperience and Greece’s ability to exploit transitions, both teams should find scoring opportunities in what is expected to be a balanced and tactical match.

FriendliesWon1:1

MoroccoNorway

Why this pick: Morocco national football team and Norway national football team both enter this friendly with strong attacking quality and several dangerous forwards capable of consistently creating chances. Norway rely heavily on their offensive stars and usually prefer an aggressive style of football, while Morocco continue to develop positively under their new coach and look increasingly confident going forward. At the same time, neither defense appears completely reliable at the moment, which raises the likelihood of both teams finding the net in what could become an open and entertaining match.

FriendliesVoid2:1

DenmarkUkraine

Why this pick: Denmark national football team enter this friendly as favorites thanks to their overall squad quality and home advantage, although failing to qualify for the World Cup remains a major disappointment for the team. Denmark showed strong attacking potential throughout qualification and the playoff stage but struggled with consistency in decisive moments. Ukraine national football team also missed out on the World Cup after a playoff defeat, yet their recent friendly performances have been encouraging. Victories over Poland national football team and Albania national football team highlighted solid defensive organization and good tactical balance. With both teams coming off a long season and lacking strong motivation for a highly intense encounter, a close and controlled match looks more likely than a one-sided performance from either side.

Why this pick: A key factor in this matchup will be Belal Muhammad’s takedown defense, which remains extremely strong at around 90%. It will not be easy for Gabriel Bonfim to consistently bring the former champion to the ground. Even if he succeeds, there is no guarantee he will be able to capitalize. Bonfim managed to take down the primarily striking-based Stephen Thompson multiple times, but still failed to secure a submission. Meanwhile, Muhammad has already shared the cage with elite grapplers such as Demian Maia, who also struggled to control or finish him on the ground. In striking exchanges, Bonfim is technical, but Muhammad is more than capable of holding his own. Against Ian Machado Garry, who had an even bigger physical advantage than Bonfim, Muhammad still managed to land effectively. Belal is expected to mix clinch work against the cage with pressure and control, potentially adding his own takedowns to accumulate points and neutralize dangerous moments. The main concern is his age, as he is already 37, but considering the overall matchup, Muhammad still appears to have enough tools and experience to handle Bonfim.