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Unlike the top-four and top-six races, which come with spots in Europe, there’s no actual reward for finishing in the top half of the table.

Still, a top-10 finish serves as a point of pride for clubs, and while it’s not one of the more popular markets, there’s certainly value to be found in it for bettors.

Here’s how the middle of the Premier League table looked when the season was suspended.

POS. – position; PTS – points; GD – goal difference; MP – matches played

And here are the odds for clubs to secure a top-10 finish.

I’m of the belief that the top-nine teams will remain in the top nine through the end of the season. Wolves and Sheffield United are backed by excellent managers in Nuno Espirito Santo and Chris Wilder, and that will keep them competing for a spot in Europe next season. Tottenham will receive a massive boost by the return of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, and Moussa Sissoko, aiding in their top-four push, while Arsenal have a game in hand over all the clubs below them and still have four matches remaining against the bottom-six teams.

That leaves one spot up for grabs, currently shared by Burnley and Crystal Palace. The prices on these two clubs are about the same, with the Clarets sitting at +190 and the Eagles at +200, but they have contrasting outlooks.

Burnley are excellently managed by Sean Dyche, who’s a terrific motivator and tactician. There’s cohesion in the team with little turnover in personnel, and that familiarity will aid in the club’s form upon the restart. Where Burnley have typically struggled is against the “big six” sides. The Clarets are 1-2-7 in games against the “big six” this season but have just two such matches remaining, while four of their final nine fixtures are against the bottom-six sides, with whom they are 5-2-1 against this season. Expect a strong finish from Dyche’s side, as the club provides excellent value to keep its place in the top half of the table at +190.

Should the Clarets falter, don’t expect Palace to take advantage. Roy Hodgson’s side has overachieved considerably this season. Jordan Ayew has been serviceable up top, but there simply aren’t enough goals on their side. The Eagles have been the beneficiaries of some timely scoring, but with a lack of goalscorers on their side, that’s not something they can keep relying on.

Palace also have a daunting fixture list ahead of them, with seven of their last nine matches coming against top-10 sides, including Liverpool (away), Leicester (away), Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolves (away), and Tottenham. The Eagles are likelier to drop to 14th by season’s end than they are to break into the top half of the table.

Everton are strong candidates to leapfrog both Burnley and Palace and finish inside the top 10, with oddsmakers pegging them as favorites to do so at -140. The Toffees have experienced something of a resurgence since Carlo Ancelotti took over, posting a 5-3-3 record in the league under the Italian. That being said, their remaining schedule poses a number of hurdles with three of their next four matches coming against Liverpool, Leicester, and Tottenham. If they can get through those relatively unscathed, there’s a clear path to a top-10 finish, but I’m not comfortable backing the Toffees at such a short price.

Sitting a bit further down the table are Southampton, who are especially interesting at +700. The Saints have bounced back impressively following a miserable start to the campaign in which they lost eight of their first 12 matches, and there’s a lot to like about this side under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Southampton had the league’s worst home record when the season was suspended and will be one of the clubs least effected by playing in an empty stadium. Their toughest remaining fixtures are against Arsenal, Everton, and the two Manchesters, but there’s nothing especially daunting about those matches. If they can claim even six points from those four fixtures, the rest of their schedule maps out well for them to break into the top 10.

Best bets: Burnley +190, Southampton +700

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

INDIANAPOLIS — New Colts starting quarterback Philip Rivers knew about the criticism from his struggles at times during the 2019 season while with the Los Angeles Chargers. He didn’t go seek out everything that was said about him because he knows negativity comes with the job at times.

But as he points out, “at the same time, we’re all human.”

“At times what may have aggravated me a little bit last year was [critics saying] that I couldn’t play anymore,” Rivers said Wednesday. “When you heard that, it bothered me because I wanted to go, ‘Shoot, let’s go turn on the tape and watch all the good things.’ There were some bad plays. Certainly some throws I want back and certainly some very costly mistakes. I own up to all those. There was so much good and I had some throws last year that were probably as good as I’ve had my whole career. I knew. So I didn’t feel like I had to sell that to anyone. But at the same time, it did aggravate you little bit. I think it’s OK to be aware. I’m one of those guys that likes to be aware.”

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Thank you, La Liga.

The exact fixture dates aren’t set beyond June 26, but if the next two weeks are any indication, we are going to have a run of 38 consecutive days with at least one La Liga match beginning Thursday. I’m literally giddy just typing that.

The fun begins at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium as Sevilla host Real Betis in the Seville derby. Let’s dive right into Matchday 28.

Levante (+330) at Valencia (-135), Draw (+320)

The Mestalla has been a fortress for Valencia this season, and even without fans in attendance Friday, there’s no reason they shouldn’t maintain their dominance. Albert Celades’ side is unbeaten at its home ground this season with eight wins and six draws and had won six of its last eight at home (drawing Atletico and Real Madrid) before the campaign was suspended.

With the club chasing a Champions League berth, it’s essential to get off to a flying start, and there’s no better way to do that than with a statement win over rivals Levante in the Valencia derby.

No club has suffered more losses away from home this season than Levante, who have lost 11 of 14, including seven of their last eight. They’ve yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels, allowing at least a goal in 29 consecutive away matches, and have historically struggled in this fixture, losing each of their last five trips to the Mestalla by scores of 3-1, 3-1, 3-0, 3-0, and 2-0. Expect a similar result here.

Pick: Valencia (-135)

Deportivo Alaves (+280) at Espanyol (+110), Draw (+220)

This is a true six-pointer in the relegation scrap, with Alaves looking to pull away from the drop zone and Espanyol desperate to climb out from the bottom of the table.

There are plenty of positives to take from the recent form of both these sides, but it remains to be seen how they will respond to the long layoff. Before the hiatus, Espanyol had gone five matches unbeaten at RCDE Stadium, while Alaves had lost just one of their last four away from home and two of their last nine overall.

The responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Espanyol here as they really need the three points, which will allow Alaves to sit back and let the match come to them. The visitors will do enough to frustrate a sputtering Espanyol side and earn a share of the spoils.

Pick: Draw (+220)

Barcelona (-350) at Mallorca (+800), Draw (+480)

All eyes across the football world will be fixated on what’s shaping up to be a thrilling title race in La Liga, with just two points separating first-place Barcelona and second-place Real Madrid. The Blaugrana should be able to secure three points here, but they won’t come easy against a stingy Mallorca side that has allowed just 14 goals in 14 home matches this season.

Mallorca have done well to limit the damage from top-six La Liga sides in a number of tightly contested matches at Son Moix this season. They beat Real Madrid 1-0, lost 2-0 to Sevilla and Atletico, and lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad and Getafe.

Barcelona will have to work hard to break Mallorca down – a familiar feeling for the league leaders, who have struggled in away matches this season. They’ve scored just 18 goals in 13 of those fixtures compared to 45 in 14 at home, and it will take a bit of time to find their rhythm in attack as play resumes.

Pick: Under 3, 3.5 (-115)

Full card:

• Granada/Getafe draw (+205)
• Valencia (-135)
• Espanyol/Alaves draw (+220)
• Leganes/Valladolid under 2 (-120)
• Mallorca/Barcelona under 3, 3.5 (-115)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

A new NFL collective bargaining agreement approved in March has quietly brought about changes to training camp rules that will affect this summer.

Whereas teams used to be required to report to training camp 15 days before their preseason opener, 28 NFL teams now must report July 28 — which is 47 or 48 days before Week 1 of the regular season — league sources said.

The teams playing Sunday, Sept. 13, must report to camp 47 days before their opener, and the teams scheduled to play Monday, Sept. 14, must report 48 days before that game.

The four teams not reporting July 28 are the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chiefs and Texans are scheduled to kick off the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 10, and are required to report to camp the same 47 days in advance of the opener, which would be July 25. The Cowboys and Steelers are set for the Hall of Fame preseason opener Aug. 6 and will report July 22, 15 days before that game.