Dynamo Kyiv and Rijeka shine as Fipster navigates a tricky Europa Conference League day
With 27 fixtures in the mix, Fipster's model had its moments of brilliance and bouts of befuddlement. Two STAR performances and nine TICKs show some solid calls, but sixteen misses remind us that predicting football is never a walk in the park. Let's dive into the highs, lows, and everything in between from this 3rd Qualifying Round.
The standout moment came from Dynamo Kyiv's tight 1-0 victory over Qarabag, where Fipster nailed not just the outcome but the exact scoreline too — a rare double whammy earning a STAR grade. Confidence was spot on here, proving even a broken clock can be right twice a day.
Joining Kyiv in the STAR spotlight was HNK Rijeka’s narrow 1-0 win against Ilves. The model got all the key calls correct: outcome, exact score, BTTS, over/under, and halftime prediction. A perfect storm of accuracy that we’ll happily brag about until the next miss.
Several TICKs kept spirits buoyant. Ajax’s 3-1 win over Shelbourne saw Fipster correctly call the outcome and BTTS, though it missed out on the exact score and halftime guess. Similarly, Borac Banja Luka’s 1-0 victory over ML Vitebsk earned a TICK with accurate outcome and halftime predictions despite missing on BTTS and over/under.
Not all days are sunshine and roses though. The model stumbled on some shockers like CFR 1907 Cluj’s 0-5 drubbing by Tromso and Bohemians’ 0-2 loss to FC Midtjylland — both MISS grades where outcome predictions went awry despite getting BTTS or over/under right. These remind us that football loves to keep us humble.
A few other notable misses included Raków Częstochowa’s goalless draw with Hammarby FF and Sheriff Tiraspol’s surprise 1-3 defeat to FC St. Gallen — occasions where Fipster confidently backed the wrong horse.
Overall, with 2 STARs, 9 TICKs, and 16 MISSes across 27 fixtures, today was a mixed bag for our trusty model. It showed it can pick winners and even nail exact scores when feeling sprightly but also reminded us why football predictions should come with a pinch of salt (or maybe a whole shaker). The model tended to get outcomes right more often than exact scores or halftime calls — which is probably for the best if you ask us.
Day grade: B
