Big match previews: a tight League One contest leads the way
Reading and Leyton Orient get top billing as the highest placed pairing with league positions supplied. Then there are two Champions League puzzles and an NBA contest to chew over across 21 and 22 October. The crowd has its opinions, but there is plenty of room for an argument with your mates.
Reading v Leyton Orient
Four places apart, just a point between them. Reading sit eighth on 15 points, with Leyton Orient 12th on 14 heading into this League One Gameweek 12 meeting on Wednesday 21 October at 8.00pm. Reading bring a listed run of L W D D W; Orient arrive with W D L W L.
The table favours Reading, but the crowd leans the other way: 35% call a home win, 25% a draw and 40% an away win. The most called score is 1-2. That is an away preference rather than a resounding verdict, which leaves a lovely little debate to settle.
Table position or crowd instinct? Make your own call.
Lille v Galatasaray SK
Lille and Galatasaray SK meet in Champions League Round 3 on Wednesday 21 October at 5.45pm. Both have L L as their supplied form, so neither brings a winning result in that sequence. There is a clear opportunity here to change the conversation.
Good luck getting a firm answer from the crowd, though. A home win and a draw each account for 35%, with the away win on 30%. The most called score is 1-1, neatly capturing the uncertainty. Nothing in that split suggests an easy decision, whatever your mate insists.
Can you separate them? Put your own call in.
Como v Manchester United
The other Wednesday 21 October, 5.45pm Champions League Round 3 fixture pairs Como with Manchester United. Their supplied form matches too, with both showing L W. That gives us identical sequences but a distinctly uneven crowd verdict.
Como take 48% of the outcome calls, compared with 35% for the draw and 17% for Manchester United. Yet the most called score is 1-1. There is no contradiction: the home win leads the outcome split, while a draw is the most popular individual scoreline. Still, it makes this a particularly interesting one to pick apart.
Do you favour Como or see something different? Make your call.
Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards
Staying up? Washington Wizards host Milwaukee Bucks at 12.00am on Thursday 22 October, in the NBA week of 19 October. Washington have L as their listed form, while Milwaukee show W L.
This is another narrow crowd verdict rather than a confident chorus. Washington receive 53% of the calls and Milwaukee 47%, leaving the hosts with the edge but plenty of disagreement. After the football, there is another close decision waiting for anyone taking the late shift.
Which side gets your nod? Make your own call before they start.
When they kick off
Watch whether the narrow crowd preferences hold up, and whether those most called draws tell the better story in the Champions League. There is enough disagreement across these four games to keep the group chat busy. Join your mates on Call the Scores and play for free.