England enters this quarterfinal as the stronger overall side, but Norway has already shown it can beat elite opposition after eliminating Brazil 2-1. The key matchup will be England’s ability to control possession and limit Norway’s counterattack, particularly the service into Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth.

England should have an advantage in midfield with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. If they can control second balls and prevent Martin Odegaard from receiving the ball in space, Norway may struggle to consistently connect its midfield to Haaland. England also has greater attacking depth on the wings, where Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke can stretch Norway’s back line and create room for Harry Kane.

Norway’s best opportunity will come in transition. Haaland does not need many chances to score, and Norway’s direct style can punish England if its fullbacks push too far forward. England is also without suspended defender Jarell Quansah, although Marc Guehi, Declan Rice and Reece James have all returned to full training, leaving Thomas Tuchel with an otherwise healthy squad.

The game could remain tight through the opening hour, but England’s deeper bench and greater variety in attack should become important late. Norway can threaten and is capable of scoring, but England has more ways to change the game if the initial approach is not working.

I'm looking at a final with England pulling out the win: England 2, Norway 1

Take: England - 1/2 goal 

Chicago Cubs starter Javier Assad has been one of the biggest surprises through the first month-plus of baseball this season, posting a stellar 6-1 record while giving his team a chance to win every outing. Cincinnati will try and take advantage behind starter Nick Lodolo, who sports a bloated 4.68 ERA and hasn't been able to consistently string together quality starts. Friday's series opener was rough for Chicago as they were shutout, but this lineup has been one of the NL's best all season long and should be poised to bounce back. Look for Chicago to make their chances count this one, receive a solid start from Assad and take the series with a win on the road.

Jim Feist's FREE Play: Chicago Cubs. 

The Philadelphia Phillies possess the biggest advantage on the mound, which should help them defeat the Detroit Tigers Saturday. Cristopher Sanchez will take the bump for Philly, and the southpaw is currently 10-4 with a 2.62 ERA and 137 strikeouts. Sanchez has been their most reliable starter this season and puts them in great position to hold down a Detroit lineup that has performed inconsistently all season long.

Detroit will start Casey Mize, who has the ability to have a good outing, but Philadelphia’s lineup has more pop. Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm give them different ways to put runs on the board and especially damage this Tigers staff if they can force Mize to throw from the stretch early.

Philadelphia also is a good bounce-back candidate considering they lost 10-2 on Friday. Keep in mind this was an outlier score as this game was tied going into the middle innings before Detroit exploded for eight runs against Phillies relievers. Sanchez should be able to go deep into this game and lessen bullpen fatigue, so look for improvements from Philadelphia Saturday.

The Phillies have been the better team all season long at 52-43 compared to Detroit at 43-50. I'll be taking the Phillies to bounce back here on Saturday.

Jim's Play: 977. Phillies

Jim Feist’s CFL Game of the Week for Saturday features a road wager on the Calgary Stampeders to beat the Montreal Alouettes. First off, why Calgary? Well the offense should provide fireworks. The Stampeders are scoring 41.0 points per contest and Vernon Adams Jr. looked unstoppable last week. In his first start, Adams passed for 405 yards and six touchdowns, then scored another time rushing the ball. When Adams is playing well, Calgary can strike quickly downfield, score touchdowns in short drives and force Montreal to play at a pace it might not like.

Strength in one area often leads to weakness in another, but not for Calgary. The Stampeders also have balance with Tevin Jones and Jalen Philpot providing capable options down the field for Adams, while Calgary has notched rushing touchdowns in bunches. Simply put, the Stampeders have finished drives with touchdowns rather than kicking field goals.

Montreal is a good team but they haven’t exactly looked unstoppable this season. The Alouettes already proved they could lose high-scoring affairs by dropping a decision to Toronto last month and Calgary has the offensive firepower to keep exchanging touchdowns into the fourth quarter. You also get Calgary as an underdog which only sweetens the deal.

Expect Adams to make some big plays, expect Calgary to continue attacking downfield and expect the Stampeders to win outright in Montreal.

Jim's Play: 675. Cal Stampeders 

The Minnesota Lynx are poised to respond against the New York Liberty on Saturday. They have a healthier roster, home-court advantage and one of the best defenses in the WNBA. Minnesota comes into the game with a record of 15-6 while averaging 90.2 points on 80.8 allowed, which ranks among the best defensive efficiencies in the league. Their net rating of +9.4 also greatly surpasses New York’s rating of +4.8, indicating Minnesota has been the more consistent team throughout the season.

Minnesota also holds the advantage with New York missing multiple rotation players. Leonie Fiebich will be out again for the Liberty, who missed their last meeting due to injury. Satou Sabally has also been ruled out in concussion protocol. Rebecca Allen and Pauline Astier haven’t been at full health either, leaving New York rather short-handed on the perimeter against Minnesota’s deep roster. Fiebich gives New York one of the best perimeter defenders on their team, while her absence is especially felt from a three-point shooting perspective. She’d be tasked with guarding one of Minnesota’s most efficient shooters in anything close toa regular rotation.

Minnesota also looks to erase the memory of their earlier defeat to New York this season. The Liberty defeated the Lynx 99-86 on July 3, but Minnesota now has home court advantage in Target Center. Cheryl Reeve and company have also responded well in previous seasons after a loss, so look for Minnesota to tighten things up defensively. They allowed the Liberty to shoot over 50 percent from the field in their last meeting.

Minnesota boasts one of the better overall offenses in terms of balance. They rank first in this matchup in points scored per game (90.2), rebounds per game (36.4), assists per game (21.4) and steals per game (8.8). Minnesota also turns the ball over less than New York, meaning they should have better luck finishing possessions on offense. Napheesa Collier is still the driving force of the Minnesota offense, but a plethora of offensive options have allowed the Lynx to be just as efficient without her on the floor.

Minnesota comes into this game looking to prove themselves after an early season loss to New York. Look for them to compete with greater intensity, dominate the glass and capitalize on a weaker New York roster. Minnesota has home court advantage and the defensive consistency to cover the spread in what should be a thrilling matchup.

Jim's Play: 648. Min Lynx