Big match previews: One clear crowd call, plenty of room for debate
Real Madrid CF have the crowd's strongest backing this Wednesday, with 60% calling an away win against PAE AEK. That is the clearest verdict across four games on 4 November, but agreement gets harder to find elsewhere. Two Champions League fixtures start things off, before the Championship gives us a couple of calls where the table and the crowd tell rather different stories.
PAE AEK v Real Madrid CF
We begin with the strongest show of confidence. This Champions League Round 4 fixture kicks off on Wednesday at 5.45pm, with Madrid bringing a W W W form run against AEK's L L W. The visitors have the cleaner sequence, though there is a win in the hosts' run too.
The crowd split is emphatic compared with the rest of this selection: 60% for Madrid, 28% for the draw and 12% for AEK. The most called score is 0-2, so the leading call pairs an away win with a clean sheet. Clear backing, then, but a prediction is not a result.
Going with the crowd or challenging it? Make your own call.
Fenerbahçe SK v Liverpool FC
Same competition, same round, same Wednesday 5.45pm kick-off, but a very different argument. Liverpool FC also carry a W W W run, while Fenerbahçe SK have D L D. On those sequences alone, you might expect a firmer crowd verdict.
Instead, Liverpool take just 36% of the calls, with Fenerbahçe and the draw both on 32%. The most called score is 1-2, giving the visitors a narrow nod without anything like Madrid's level of agreement. There is barely room to rest your pint between these three positions.
Does the winning run settle it for you? Put your own call in.
Cardiff City FC v West Ham United FC
At 7.45pm on Wednesday, Championship Gameweek 14 brings a crowd verdict that looks past the league positions. Cardiff City FC sit 18th with 14 points, while West Ham United FC are eighth with 22. Their form runs are L W D W L and L L W W D respectively, neither offering an unbroken stretch of wins.
Yet Cardiff lead the calls on 41%, ahead of West Ham on 32% and the draw on 27%. The most called score is 1-0. The crowd's preferred outcome is a home win, despite the visitors' higher standing. That should keep the discussion going.
Table or crowd instinct? Make your own call.
Wrexham v Middlesbrough
The other Wednesday 7.45pm Championship fixture offers an even sharper contrast. Wrexham are 19th with 14 points and a L L W L D run. Middlesbrough lead the table with 28 points, backed by W W D W W form.
You might expect that combination to command a clear away verdict. Not here. The draw leads on 37%, Middlesbrough follow on 36%, and Wrexham have 27%. With 1-1 the most called score, the crowd is narrowly favouring shared points over a win for the leaders. This is no consensus to hide behind.
Can you separate them? Make your own call.
When they kick off
Watch whether the strongest crowd verdict holds up first, then how those much tighter splits unfold. The Championship fixtures are particularly intriguing tests of league standing against collective judgement. Get your mates involved, compare your calls and play Call the Scores for free.