Bruce's Picks (11 Live)
The door has opened for BVB to climb into second place in the Bundesliga after RB Leipzig stumbled on Saturday vs. Union Berlin. Recent trends vs. Sunday foe Freiburg are about as one-sided as can be...in the last five meetings, all BVB wins, it has outscored Freiburg 20-4. Freiburg's challenge will be to put one past Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel, who's only allowed 11 goals all season as BVB has the best defensive record in the Bundesliga outside of Bayern Munich. Also perhaps a chance for Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy to get back on the horse after scoring just once in his last ten; he netted in his only appearance vs. Freiburg last season en route to his 21 goals. Play BVB on Money Line
Aston Villa's superb recent form includes five wins on the spin in the Prem and 9 of 10, and results in 11 of 12 since exiting what was a desultory August. Last Sunday's dramatic 2-1 win over Arsenal thanks to Emiliano Buendía's strike after a scramble deep in stoppage time has pushed the Villans all of the way up to third place, with both Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins having rediscovered the goal touch in recent games. Yet this looks a tricky spot as West Ham has put the bit between its teeth for Nuno as it fights to escape the drop zone, getting results in five of six, and Jarrod Bowen back on the scoresheet at Brighton. Play West Ham on Spread
Tyneside will be rocking as the local Sunderland-Newcastle derby revives at the Stadium of Light. It sticks in the craw of all Magpie backers that the Black Cats are actually ahead of Newcastle in the table, as Regis Le Bris has stewarded a stunning display for a promoted side that has stayed in the mix for a European spot. Sunderland likely has some staying power thanks to offseason reinforcements that include Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, who can still effectively run a show, especially at home, where the Black Cats are unbeaten in seven. Meanwhile, road form has mostly been an issue for Eddie Howe's bunch, though Newcastle does have a recent win at Everton (its first on the EPL trail). Play Sunderland on Spread
Duquesne's road trip to the Mountain West didn't start off too when absorbing an 86-64 beating at Boise on Wednesday. The Dukes' defensive issues were exploited by the Broncos, who hit 57% of their 3-balls, and Duquesne doesn't have much foot speed on defense with lumbering 6-11 John Hugley (on his fourth school!) often a liability vs. more-mobile bigs. Meanwhile, Steve Alford looks like he has the Wolf Pack in gear after three straight impressive wins, with 3-poitn shooting now up to near 37%. Alford hopes to have top scorer Corey Camper (15.9 ppg) available after missing the win over Washington State, though Evansville transfer PG Tayshawn Comer is off of a 24-point showcase vs. the Cougs. Play Nevada