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Middlesbrough have scored in all eight of their Championship matches so far, netting 2+ goals in five of these matches - including each of their last three games prior to the international break.

Middlesbrough have won three of their four matches at home this season, netting the third most goals of any side in the Championship at home (11 - 2.75 per game). Only Southampton (15) and West Ham (14) have scored more goals in front of their own fans in the Championship so far this term.

Furthermore, only West Ham (18.0) and Millwall (16.3) have recorded a higher xG than Middlesbrough in the Championship this season (15.8). Kim Hellberg’s side have done quite well to make the most of this tally too, netting 16 goals in total across their eight games (2.0 per game).

Wolves have only kept two clean sheets in the Championship this season, notably conceding 10 goals in total with seven of these being in their away matches. Wolves conceded four goals away at West Ham, as well as two goals at Birmingham in recent away matches - I think they’ll struggle to keep out Middlesbrough. 

Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League across their last 21 matches.

Their last shutout came all the way back at the start of the year against Brentford, when Liam Rosenior was still in charge. 

Xabi Alonso has not managed to change Chelsea’s fortunes defensively, Chelsea have conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League (12) - notably conceding five goals across just two games at Stamford Bridge.

They allowed Hull to score twice in their most recent game at Stamford Bridge, and also conceded 3+ goals against both Leeds and Brighton in their other games against Premier League opposition at home.

Bournemouth may not have won a game in the Premier League yet, but have found the back of the net in all but one of their games this season. They also have a good recent record at Stamford Bridge having scored in each of their last three visits, scoring twice in two of these games.

Bayern Munich have started the season as you’d expect in the Bundesliga, winning three of their opening four matches and netting more goals than any other side in the process (14).

That scoring power jumps off the page straight away, but what is more impressive for Vincent Kompany’s side is the fact that they’ve only conceded two goals across these games. Schalke were the only side to hold them to a draw so far this season, which was a game that Bayern should have won when looking at the underlying numbers. 

Bayern Munich beat Augsburg 3-2 on the road last season, posting an xG of 4.24 as they outscored the home side - who did quite well to score twice with an xG of just 0.51 from three efforts on target. 

Bayern have actually managed to win on each of their last four trips to Augsburg, so it’s clearly a trip they enjoy and their current form makes it really hard to make a case for the home side despite their decent start to the campaign.

York have settled in really well to the EFL in front of their own fans, winning all four of their home games at the start of this season - netting 12 goals across these games and conceding just three.

York have scored more goals at home than any other side in League Two this season, with only four sides in the division boasting a better defensive record than the newly promoted side. 

They recorded a convincing home victory against Gillingham last time out, coming away 3-0 winners with an xG of 2.21 from 17 shots while the away side couldn’t even muster an effort on target from the six shots they had in the contest.

Northampton have lost each of their last three games ahead of this clash, and sit just one point above the drop zone in the early stages of the campaign - winning just one of their opening seven games. 

They haven’t won an away game this season, and have only scored one goal across their three assignments - making it hard to make a case for them to score here.

Lille have enjoyed a fairly strong start to the season having won three of their opening five games, netting eight goals in the process.

They’ve avoided defeat across their two home games, beating Troyes in a comfortable 2-0 victory after holding PSG to a 2-2 draw in a game that Lille could have got even more out of when looking over the underlying numbers.

Lille only lost four of their 17 home games in Ligue 1 last season, finishing third behind the two main title challengers in PSG and Lens. They found these sorts of games fairly routine last season, avoiding defeat against Le Havre both home and away.

Le Havre are yet to win a game in Ligue 1 this season having lost three of their opening five games. They’ve only scored four goals across these games, which is a real concern as that is the second lowest tally in the division across the opening five matches.

Furthermore, Le Havre will crucially be without starting goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau who has had to make more saves than any other keeper so far (19), boasting a goals  prevented tally of 1.50.

Chelsea’s defensive issues are quite deep rooted, the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 21 Premier League matches - stretching all the way back to a shut out against Brentford back in Liam Rosenior’s brief tenure.

Xabi Alonso’s side faced a sobering 3-0 defeat at Brentford just before the international break, which was a result that highlighted the lack of balance and defensive rigidity of the squad. They’ve seen BTTS in their other four Premier League games, conceding 12 goals across these matches: no side has conceded more goals in the Premier League than Chelsea this season.

Bournemouth are one of only three sides in the Premier League yet to register a win domestically, but they have drawn three of their five matches and have found the back of the net in all but one of their games - with that blank coming against Liverpool just before the international break.

This is usually a very entertaining game, each of the last three clashes between the sides at Stamford Bridge has seen BTTS with the meeting last year ending 2-2 with both sides posting healthy xG numbers (2.31-3.14).

Chelsea’s defensive issues are quite deep rooted, the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 21 Premier League matches - stretching all the way back to a shut out against Brentford back in Liam Rosenior’s brief tenure.

Xabi Alonso’s side faced a sobering 3-0 defeat at Brentford just before the international break, which was a result that highlighted the lack of balance and defensive rigidity of the squad. They’ve seen BTTS in their other four Premier League games, conceding 12 goals across these matches: no side has conceded more goals in the Premier League than Chelsea this season.

Bournemouth are one of only three sides in the Premier League yet to register a win domestically, but they have drawn three of their five matches and have found the back of the net in all but one of their games - with that blank coming against Liverpool just before the international break.

This is usually a very entertaining game, each of the last three clashes between the sides at Stamford Bridge has seen BTTS with the meeting last year ending 2-2 with both sides posting healthy xG numbers (2.31-3.14).

Reading are missing League One’s runaway top goalscorer, Jack Marriott, and key attacking cog George Earthy.

That duo have scored 59% of Reading’s goals so far this season, and while MK Dons are winless after seven league games - they’ve drawn six of them, so it feels unlikely they’re going to be relegation battle fodder this term.

They built some confidence with 4-1 and 7-1 wins in the Trophy during the international break and have only conceded twice at home in the league, from three games, drawing all three.

Reading are winless away from home in the league, and though their attacking process has been strong, it’s very unlikely they’ll assert themselves against a physical MK side as they would’ve done at full strength.

This is the first of back-to-back home games for MK, Paul Warne may not survive in the role if they don’t get a win on the board.

This game screams goals.

Bristol Rovers have scored in 4/4 home games and Barnet have found the net in every game, the visitors have seen this bet land in 7/7 in the league.

Barnet eased aside Rovers 4-0 and 2-0 last season, with both games coming in December, but Rovers have been a different beast since and have won all four of their home league games.

This could be a game to look back to at the end of the season and see if it went on to decide the title or the promotion race, it’s two of the league’s best attacks who’re yet to look reliable defensively.

Rovers have conceded two or more goals in 3/4 in League Two, and Barnet have conceded a first half goal in each of their last three.

Salford have won 5/6 in the league, unbeaten during that run and Cheltenham were beaten 2-0 by 16th-placed Accrington last weekend.

Cheltenham have unsustainably overperformed going forward, scoring 16 from 10.8 xG, and have a higher total xG conceded than any other side.

League Two top scorer Charlie McCann is suspended for the hosts, and first choice left back, Joe Tomlinson is a doubt, with big money summer signing Luke Molyneux ready to cause havoc down Salford's right - he's scored once and assisted three times in his last four.

The odds look generous considering Cheltenham's unsustainable process and if Salford get Macaulay Langstaff on a run, he netted the only goal of the game last time out, they'll be hard to catch.

York have settled in really well to the EFL in front of their own fans, winning all four of their home games at the start of this season - netting 12 goals across these games and conceding just three.

York have scored more goals at home than any other side in League Two this season, with only four sides in the division boasting a better defensive record than the newly promoted side. 

They recorded a convincing home victory against Gillingham last time out, coming away 3-0 winners with an xG of 2.21 from 17 shots while the away side couldn’t even muster an effort on target from the six shots they had in the contest.

Northampton have lost each of their last three games ahead of this clash, and sit just one point above the drop zone in the early stages of the campaign - winning just one of their opening seven games. 

They haven’t won an away game this season, and have only scored one goal across their three assignments - making it hard to make a case for them to score here.

I rarely go against Arbroath at Gayfield, and they look worth backing against Morton on Saturday. 

The Red Lichties are unbeaten in all four of their home league games this season, a run that includes a win over ante-post title favourites Livingston. 

They also saw off Queen’s Park 2-1 in their last home match, which bodes well for another visit from one of the division’s strugglers. 

Morton are the only side across the SPFL still searching for their first league win of the season, having taken just one point from their opening eight games.

Their struggles continued with a 2-1 defeat at home to Raith Rovers last Saturday.

Arbroath also came out on top when these sides met in August, strengthening the case for backing the hosts this weekend.

Falkirk are favourites to beat Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, but I think this will be a tighter contest than the pre-match odds suggest.

The Bairns sit second from bottom, while fourth-placed Dundee signed off for the international break with a 2-1 win over Motherwell.

Steven Pressley’s side have scored in six of their seven league games this season, with their only blank coming away at Celtic on the opening weekend.

While Falkirk have shown more attacking promise in recent weeks, they remain vulnerable at the back, conceding against 10-man St Johnstone last time out. 

Indeed, John McGlynn’s side have failed to silence their opponents in six of their seven top-flight matches this term, including all three of their fixtures at the Falkirk Stadium.

I’m backing Partick Thistle to score at least once away at Livingston on Saturday.

The Jags got their promotion push back on track with an impressive 3-0 win over Arbroath last weekend.

While Mark Wilson’s side had been stuttering before that, their performances had been better than their results suggested, with a lack of cutting edge proving costly.

That victory should have lifted spirits within the Firhill camp ahead of a trip to Livingston, who lost 2-1 at home to Ayr last weekend despite playing with a man advantage for most of the game.

The Lions have also conceded in recent home games against Stenhousemuir and Inverness.

Thistle will represent a tougher test than either of those opponents, particularly given the firepower at their disposal.

The Jags have scored in two of their three league games away from home this season and won the reverse fixture 2-0, so they look well capable of finding the net again on Saturday.

I rarely go against Arbroath at Gayfield, and they look worth backing in the draw no bet market against Morton on Saturday. 

The Red Lichties are unbeaten in all four of their home league games this season, a run that includes a win over ante-post title favourites Livingston. 

They also saw off Queen’s Park 2-1 in their last home match, which bodes well for another visit from one of the division’s strugglers. 

Morton are the only side across the SPFL still searching for their first league win of the season, having taken just one point from their opening eight games.

Their struggles continued with a 2-1 defeat at home to Raith Rovers last Saturday.

Arbroath also came out on top when these sides met in August, strengthening the case for backing the hosts with the draw no bet safety net.

Stenhousemuir have made a stunning start to the season, so it’s surprising to see them priced up as such big outsiders away at Inverness on Saturday.

Marvin Bartley’s men are strengthening their title credentials with every passing week, having won seven and drawn one of their opening eight league games of the season.

That stalemate came on the opening weekend, meaning the Warriors have since won seven successive Championship matches, including impressive away victories at Queen’s Park, Livingston and Ayr.

A solid defence has been central to that success, and I’m backing them to avoid defeat against an Inverness side they have already beaten this season.

What’s more, the Caley Jags have won just one of their four home league games this season, with that solitary success coming against rock-bottom Morton.

Hearts look worth siding with to get back to winning ways when they host St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday. 

Wouter Vrancken’s side saw their four-match unbeaten run ended by Falkirk before being held to a 1-1 draw by Kilmarnock.

However, Hearts have won all three of their home league games this season, seeing off both Dundee clubs and St Johnstone.

Those victories came against sides of a similar standard of opposition to that of St Mirren, and I think the Jambos’ superior quality will tell again this weekend.

The Saints went into the international break on the back of a third straight league defeat, losing 3-0 at home to Dundee United. 

That poor run adds to the appeal of backing Hearts to maintain their 100% home record.

Chelsea’s defensive issues are quite deep rooted, the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 21 Premier League matches - stretching all the way back to a shut out against Brentford back in Liam Rosenior’s brief tenure.

Xabi Alonso’s side faced a sobering 3-0 defeat at Brentford just before the international break, which was a result that highlighted the lack of balance and defensive rigidity of the squad. They’ve seen BTTS in their other four Premier League games, conceding 12 goals across these matches: no side has conceded more goals in the Premier League than Chelsea this season.

Bournemouth are one of only three sides in the Premier League yet to register a win domestically, but they have drawn three of their five matches and have found the back of the net in all but one of their games - with that blank coming against Liverpool just before the international break.

This is usually a very entertaining game, each of the last three clashes between the sides at Stamford Bridge has seen BTTS with the meeting last year ending 2-2 with both sides posting healthy xG numbers (2.31-3.14).

On the opposite side, Marcus Tavernier is the danger man for Bournemouth. He already has three goals under his belt from five Premier League starts, averaging 2.74 shots per 90. Tavernier has landed this selection in three of those matches, including difficult matchups against Newcastle, Brentford and Man City.

Bournemouth have had a tough start under their new manager, but the fixture list has not been particularly kind to them. The Cherries have still given a good account of themselves against top sides, and they have been unfortunate to collect only three points. Given how poor Chelsea have been defensively, Bournemouth will view this as a winnable game, and they should be able to find success in the final third.

It didn’t take long for Morgan Rogers to open his goalscoring account for Chelsea, as he scored against Fulham on his debut. The former Aston Villa man has since added another two league goals, finding the back of the net against Arsenal and Hull, which has made him one of Chelsea’s standout performers during the opening weeks of the campaign.

Rogers has recorded at least two shots in all six of his starts for the Blues, landing this selection in four of those appearances. He registered two attempts against Hull, with both hitting the target, and he has managed to hit the target with four of his eleven shots overall.

Wesley Fofana has been a magnet for drawing fouls at the back this season, winning six free-kicks across his last three Premier League starts. The Frenchman is comfortable having the ball at his feet, and he sometimes looks to progress forward from the back, which invites tackles from opposing attackers and midfielders. 

Fofana should find plenty of duels against Evanilson this weekend, and the Brazilian likes to be aggressive when leading Bournemouth’s press. He averaged 0.88 fouls per 90 across all competitions last season, but that figure has risen considerably to 1.81 under Marco Rose this campaign. Evanilson has committed multiple infringements in four of his six starts, as he has been given a much bigger role under the new manager when it comes to leading the press.

Marco Rose’s men are yet to win in the Premier League this season, and they have looked vulnerable defensively at times. Bournemouth have conceded an average of 4.60 corners per match, and that figure could rise even further as they will miss Alex Scott for the next few weeks. 

Chelsea racked up 12 corners against Brentford before the break, despite eventually losing 3-0, and they recorded another ten against Hull in their previous fixture. The Blues are averaging 6.43 corners per game across all competitions this season, which shows how they have consistently been able to carve out chances in the final third. Xabi Alonso likes his wingbacks to get high to utilise width, which always brings crosses into play.

Calvert-Lewin has started the season really well for Leeds, netting three goals across his five starts in the Premier League - a record that earned him a call up to the latest England camp, where he featured for a few minutes from the bench.

Calvert-Lewin has taken 11 shots in the Premier League this season (2.35 per 90), seeing seven of these efforts find the target (1.50 per 90). That’s a shot accuracy of 64%, which could be really useful for Leeds here against an Arsenal side who don’t concede many efforts.

Arsenal have conceded 3+ shots on target in each of their last three Premier League matches, conceding 5+ shots on target in two of these games against Chelsea and Brighton. 

Leeds are averaging 3.60 shots on target per game in the Premier League and Calvert-Lewin is clearly their main source of goals having accounted for 28% of the total goals that Daniel Farke’s side scored in the top flight last year. 

Saka is averaging 1.94 shots on target from 3.23 shots per 90, which is the third best in the Prem. He also carried that form into the international break, too, scoring two in three games for England from three shots on target.

But something else that stood out to me beyond his shooting stats is where he’s getting the ball. In the league so far, 45% of Arsenal's attacks have come down that right side, and 20% of their shots have come from that zone too.

Also, for England he had more touches in the opposition box than anyone else against both Spain and Croatia, so he's finding dangerous positions whoever he’s against.

Saka scored in this fixture last season as Arsenal came away 5-0 winners at the Emirates. He didn’t feature in the clash at Elland Road, which was another comfortable victory for Arsenal, but Arsenal managed nine shots on target in that clash.

Leeds are now really settled in the 3-5-2 shape that Daniel Farke switched to around halfway through last season, which sparked Leeds into life and pulled them away from the relegation zone.

The wingbacks are really important in this shape, they act as Leeds’ main outlet and can often be targeted by the opposition as a result. Bogle has been impressive in his role at right wingback this season, notably winning eight fouls across his five starts in the Premier League (1.95 per 90).

He’s shown decent consistency when it comes to winning fouls too, winning 29 fouls across his 32 starts in the Premier League last season (0.93 per 90). If you look at Bogle’s heat map, he pretty much hugs the right hand side of the pitch - making his direct opponent Calafiori. The Italian is just as adventurous as Bogle and is averaging 0.65 fouls committed per 90.

Arsenal battered Leeds in both head to head meetings last season, coming away 5-0 winners at the Emirates and 4-0 winners at Elland Road - dominating the underlying numbers in both games.

Arsenal did suffer a bruising defeat to Brighton just before the international break, but have been perfect at home this season: winning both of their games at the Emirates, having scored five goals across these matches and conceding just once.

Leeds are much more threatening when playing at Elland Road, and their struggles at the Emirates last season are likely to mean that three points are beyond their reach in this early kick off. Leeds have only managed to win one of their last five games, and have struggled a little in the final third on the road so far.

Brighton have started the season in excellent form, but they still have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League. In fact, they have picked up 12 yellow cards in five matches - only Hull, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest have been carded more often than the Seagulls. Fabian Hurzeler wants his men to press strongly in midfield, making this a great matchup to target Enzo Le Fee. 

The Frenchman is averaging 2.38 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, with that figure rising to 2.67 at the Stadium of Light. He has drawn 14 fouls across six competitive appearances, including five during Sunderland’s Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar. The Frenchman sees plenty of possession in Sunderland’s midfield and regularly carries the ball into congested areas. Brighton’s aggressive approach should give him opportunities to attract contact whenever he turns away from pressure.

John McGinn is averaging 2.99 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, and he has been fouled multiple times in seven of his eight starts. Unai Emery has had McGinn starting on the right wing this season, and he usually stays wide to try and stretch the play. 

That should put McGinn directly up against Keane Lewis-Potter, as he has been operating at left-back for Brentford. The 24-year-old prefers playing further forward, so isn’t used to having as much of a defensive responsibility. He has committed nine fouls across his five Premier League starts, averaging 1.91 fouls per 90. This matchup against McGinn out wide looks optimal to target this market again.

Wesley Fofana will have to deal with Evanilson this weekend, and that is a matchup to keep an eye on. The Brazilian international likes to press aggressively from the front, and his foul numbers have increased significantly since Marco Rose took over as Bournemouth manager.

Evanilson averaged 0.88 fouls per 90 across all competitions last season, but that figure has risen to 1.81 this campaign. He has recorded multiple infringements in four of his six starts, including two fouls against both Man City and Liverpool, respectively. 

Meanwhile, Fofana has drawn exactly two fouls in each of his last three league starts, which shows how he can be adept at drawing contact, and alleviating some pressure on his side by getting free-kicks.

Omar Marmoush has started all five league games for Tottenham since arriving from Man City, operating either from the left or through the middle. If he returns to the wing at Old Trafford, he should find himself directly against Diogo Dalot.

Marmoush has drawn at least one foul in each of his last five Premier League starts, and he is averaging 1.88 fouls drawn per 90 for his new club.

The Egyptian is usually quite positive when he gets the ball, looking to turn and beat his man, which can make him a difficult player to contain. Dalot’s foul record has been inconsistent, but his numbers tend to increase when playing against a more direct winger. He committed three fouls against Man City before the international break, and two when facing Tottenham at Old Trafford last season.

It has been a mixed start for Ipswich, who have recorded two wins and three losses in their opening five Premier League matches. The Tractor Boys have looked a bit weak defensively at times, but they have been able to pose a danger in the final third, and Julio Enciso is a key reason for that. 

The Paraguay international has landed this selection in all five starts overall, including two fouls drawn against both Sunderland and Man United - Ipswich had an average of just 39% possession in those matches. Playing at Portman Road against a struggling Fulham side, Ipswich should be able to exert much more control on proceedings, which makes this price appeal.

Ethan Ampadu collected more yellow cards than any other Leeds player in the Premier League last season (10), and faces a tough midfield battle here against Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimaraes which is likely to tempt him into collecting his first caution of this campaign.

Ampadu hasn’t been that aggressive so far, committing just four fouls across his five starts in the Premier League, but did commit nine fouls across his four games during the international break with the Wales captain picking up a caution in their 2-1 win over Norway at home.

Ampadu is likely to be in a real tussle with Bruno Guimaraes, who is one of the most consistent players in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls. He’s already won six across just 124 minutes of action for Arsenal this season (4.35 per 90) and also averaged 2.75 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League last season.

I can see Martinez and Solanke being in a real battle here with the Tottenham forward being quite a handful even if he isn’t the most clinical finisher in the Premier League.

Solanke’s hold up play is an underrated part of his game and it leads to him being pretty consistent when it comes to winning fouls. He’s often able to pin his direct opponent, and will much prefer the physical battle against Martinez compared to Maguire.

Martinez is easily frustrated and was sent off once in the Premier League last season across his 13 starts. He also collected seven yellow cards across just 20 starts in the Premier League the season prior, averaging 1.13 fouls committed per 90.

Hearts look worth siding with to get back to winning ways when they host St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday. 

Wouter Vrancken’s side saw their four-match unbeaten run ended by Falkirk before being held to a 1-1 draw by Kilmarnock.

However, Hearts have won all three of their home league games this season, seeing off both Dundee clubs and St Johnstone.

Those victories came against sides of a similar standard of opposition to that of St Mirren, and I think the Jambos’ superior quality will tell again this weekend.

The Saints went into the international break on the back of a third straight league defeat, losing 3-0 at home to Dundee United. 

That poor run adds to the appeal of backing Hearts to maintain their 100% home record.

I’m backing Partick Thistle to score at least once away at Livingston on Saturday.

The Jags got their promotion push back on track with an impressive 3-0 win over Arbroath last weekend.

While Mark Wilson’s side had been stuttering before that, their performances had been better than their results suggested, with a lack of cutting edge proving costly.

That victory should have lifted spirits within the Firhill camp ahead of a trip to Livingston, who lost 2-1 at home to Ayr last weekend despite playing with a man advantage for most of the game.

The Lions have also conceded in recent home games against Stenhousemuir and Inverness.

Thistle will represent a tougher test than either of those opponents, particularly given the firepower at their disposal.

The Jags have scored in two of their three league games away from home this season and won the reverse fixture 2-0, so they look well capable of finding the net again on Saturday.

Yasin Ayari is averaging 2.72 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, and that figure could rise further while Jack Hinshelwood remains out through injury. His absence has pushed Ayari into a more advanced midfield position, giving him more freedom to make runs into the box and look to get on the end of crosses.

The Swedish international landed this selection against Arsenal just before the break, recording two attempts during Brighton’s impressive 3-0 victory against the title-holders. He also scored for Sweden against Romania during the Nations League, so he should come into this full of confidence. Sunderland have won only one of their opening five league matches, making this a favourable matchup to target Ayari.

Reece James averaged 1.05 shots per 90 across all competitions for Chelsea last season, with that figure rising to 1.22 at Stamford Bridge. His attacking involvement has increased significantly under Xabi Alonso, who has pushed Reece James into midfield. The Englishman missed out against Brentford with a hamstring injury, but he should be fit to start this weekend. 

James is averaging 2.46 shots per 90 this season, and he has recorded multiple efforts at goal in all four starts. That includes three shots against Arsenal at the Emirates, despite that being a tough matchup for Chelsea. This clash against Bournemouth looks much better to target Reece James, as the Cherries are yet to win in the Premier League this season.

It has been a difficult start to life in the Premier League for Alvaro Arbeloa, as Fulham have only picked up two points from their opening five matches. They have scored five goals during that sequence, and Josh King has accounted for two of them.

The 19-year-old has established himself as a key player for Fulham in an advanced midfield position, and he has landed this selection in four of his five starts across all competitions. King has also recorded multiple shots in every Premier League start this term, which shows how involved he is in the final third. No player has recorded more shots on target than Josh King this campaign for Fulham.

The international break arrived at a good time for Man United, as they have failed to win any of their last three matches. Michael Carrick’s side will be desperate to bounce back strongly at Old Trafford, and this looks like the perfect matchup against a Tottenham team still searching for their first league victory. 

Bryan Mbeumo has been one of Man United’s most consistent players, as he has scored twice so far this campaign. The Cameroon international has also landed this selection in all five league starts, including three shots against Man City, and five efforts against Fulham. Mbeumo also scored against Spurs during Man United’s 2-0 victory at Old Trafford last season, so he should be looking forward to this matchup.

With three goals scored from six appearances in all competitions, no Brentford player has been more efficient in front of goal than Kevin Schade. The German international is averaging 2.38 shots per 90, and he has landed this selection in four of his five starts. Brentford have been excellent in the final third this season, and they are unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions. 

Meanwhile, Villa have only won one of their opening five matches, one of which was against Spurs who currently sit rock bottom of the league standings. They have looked vulnerable defensively, and Schade will hope to capitalise on that at Villa Park.

It hasn’t been the best start for Aston Villa, but they went into the international break on a high after beating Spurs 3-2. There were positive signs in the final third, although Villa still looked vulnerable defensively, which is understandable following the departures of Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez.

Brentford have been much stronger so far, and they remain unbeaten across their opening seven competitive matches. However, they cannot afford to underestimate Unai Emery’s men, particularly at Villa Park. Brentford have been an entertaining team to watch, and BTTS has landed in five of their last six matches across all competitions. Similarly, BTTS has landed in each of the last four Aston Villa matches.

Johan Manzambi is back in the first-team picture for Aston Villa after recovering from injury. He made his first Premier League start against Spurs before the break and marked the occasion with a goal. The Swiss international registered four shots, with two hitting the target, while he also provided the assist for Nicolas Jackson.

Manzambi then remained heavily involved for Switzerland during the international break, recording ten shots across four Nations League appearances, of which six hit the target. The summer signing was brought in to replace Morgan Rogers following a stellar World Cup campaign, and he looks set for an advanced midfield role under Emery. Manzambi will be eager to announce himself in the Premier League, so he should be heavily involved in the final third.

Igor Thiago enjoyed an incredible previous campaign, scoring 22 Premier League goals for Brentford. He hasn’t been quite as prolific this term, but chances have still been flowing for the Brazilian. Thiago is averaging 2.98 shots per 90 across all competitions, which is the highest figure among regular starters in the Brentford squad.

He has accumulated 13 shots across five league appearances, with four of those hitting the target. Igor Thiago opened his account against Chelsea just before the international break, and this looks like a good matchup for him to double his tally. Aston Villa have conceded nine goals in five league matches this season, and they have been leaking chances defensively.

Manzambi was one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga last season, with 78 infringements drawn for Freiburg at an average of 3.35 per 90. He likes having the ball at his feet, and should find duels against Kristoffer Ajer when looking to transition. 

The Norwegian centre back will also be directly up against Nicolas Jackson, which promises to be a difficult matchup in terms of pace. Jackson has quickly settled into his new role at Villa, replacing Ollie Watkins up front, and the Senegalese international scored against Club Brugge and Spurs before the international break. Ajer has committed a foul in four of his six starts this season, and Villa’s speed through the middle should force him into challenges again.

There is very little to split these sides, and it’s difficult to pick a winner pre-match. Both teams possess enough firepower to cause problems going forward, and that means we are likely to get quite an open encounter with chances available at both ends of the field. Brentford are averaging 4.40 corners per Premier League match this season, while also conceding exactly 5.0 per game.

There were 12 corners taken at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Aston Villa travelled there before the break, with 11 of those awarded to the hosts. There were another ten during their EFL Cup victory over Coventry, with Villa accounting for eight of those. This selection also landed in both head-to-head meetings last season.

I can’t see this being a low scoring game between two teams who desperately need all three points here, even after a lengthy international break.

Manchester United are one of just three teams in the Premier League who are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, notably conceding eight goals across their opening five games from an xG against of 6.80.

Three of their four home games across all competitions have seen 3+ goals, with United conceding three goals against Brighton in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford last time out.

Tottenham haven’t fared much better than their opponents here, failing to win any of their five matches in the Premier League and keeping clean sheets in just two of these games. 

Their underlying chance creation numbers would suggest that they’re getting in the right areas (5.0 xG leading to two goals scored), and this is the perfect team to face in wanting to improve that conversion given how weak United look at the back right now.

The international break arrived at a good time for Man United, as they have failed to win any of their last three matches. Michael Carrick’s side will be desperate to bounce back strongly at Old Trafford, and this looks like the perfect matchup against a Tottenham team still searching for their first league victory. 

Bryan Mbeumo has been one of Man United’s most consistent players, as he has scored twice so far this campaign. The Cameroon international has also landed this selection in all five league starts, including three shots against Man City, and five efforts against Fulham. Mbeumo also scored against Spurs during Man United’s 2-0 victory at Old Trafford last season, so he should be looking forward to this matchup.

It’s fair to say that Omar Marmoush has found the move to Tottenham from Manchester City quite difficult so far, but one area where he has shown consistency in his early weeks as a Tottenham player is committing fouls.

Marmoush has committed eight fouls across his four Premier League starts for Tottenham already this season, working out to an average of 2.11 fouls committed per 90. He’s very eager to prove himself, which is understandable, but that often results in Marmoush being over aggressive with his challenges.

Marmoush is set to have quite a few battles with Harry Maguire in this clash, who is a centre back that is very comfortable on the ball and surprisingly good when it comes to winning fouls. 

Maguire has won four fouls across his five starts in the Premier League (0.80 per 90) and notably has a real physicality advantage over Marmoush, which should benefit this angle as Maguire is likely to win quite a lot of the duels between the pair.

Jan Paul van Hecke is a very important player for Roberto De Zerbi’s style of play with the former Brighton man being very comfortable on the ball and is familiar with the demands of the manager having worked with him at his former club.

Van Hecke has won five fouls across his five starts in the Premier League already (1.00 per 90) with the Dutchman being incredibly comfortable on the ball. He’s already completed 366 passes (73.2 per 90) and completed 106 line breaking passes (21.2 per 90) which are metrics that highlight Van Hecke’s strengths really well.

Benjamin Sesko is a doubt for this game, so Cunha or Mbeumo are likely to lead the line for United. The former has committed five fouls across his five starts in the Premier League this season (1.10 per 90) while Mbeumo also boasts a pretty decent foul average across the early games of the season (0.80 per 90). 

I’ve touched on the issues that United have faced defensively so far this season, being one of only three sides yet to keep a clean sheet in the division.

I wouldn’t put those defensive issues down to Lammens, he’s a top keeper in my opinion and is being asked to do far too much for his age and experience. 

He’s been forced into making 16 saves across his five starts in the Premier League (3.20 per 90), highlighting just how much United are relying on his shot stopping ability as their main defensive outlook. 

Tottenham have had issues when it comes to converting chances, but are still averaging 3.80 shots on target per game in the Premier League this season. I think they’ll be eager to take aim against Lammens in this clash as they face off against one of the weakest backlines in the division.

Manchester United were so over-reliant on Bruno Fernandes last season and that has remained the case in the early stages of this season with Fernandes scoring three goals and providing an assist across his five starts in the Premier League so far. 

He’s avoided a caution so far, but has committed three fouls across these matches and tends to get more involved in these bigger matches, especially following United’s poor start to the campaign. Fernandes scored in this fixture last season as United secured a 2-0 victory over Tottenham, with Fernandes notably taking eight shots in that game.

Fernandes should be able to continue his strong start to the season against a Tottenham side who are yet to win a game in the Premier League. He performed well over the international break for Portugal, with his standout game being against Denmark where he registered two assists.

I really like Anton Stach and he reflects the overall attitude and approach of this Leeds side which has been built around the themes of physicality, height and intensity. 

Stach has already scored once this season, with that goal coming on the opening day of the campaign as he converted a free kick to give Leeds all three points away at Forest. That is one of seven shots he’s had so far this season (1.41 per 90), and is one of his best attributes.

Stach is not afraid to take aim from distance having taken five of his seven efforts this season from outside of the box. One of the recent interesting trends with sides taking on Arsenal this season is how many are willing to shoot from distance - it is possibly the only weakness in Raya’s game and Stach will be aware of that.

Stach scored five goals across his 28 starts in the Premier League last season, taking 55 shots across those games (2.08 per 90). This is a nice price for him to find the target at the Emirates with Stach being on free kicks and generally being willing to shoot from distance.

I can see Martinez and Solanke being in a real battle here with the Tottenham forward being quite a handful even if he isn’t the most clinical finisher in the Premier League.

Solanke’s hold up play is an underrated part of his game and it leads to him being pretty consistent when it comes to winning fouls. He’s often able to pin his direct opponent, and will much prefer the physical battle against Martinez compared to Maguire.

Martinez is easily frustrated and was sent off once in the Premier League last season across his 13 starts. He also collected seven yellow cards across just 20 starts in the Premier League the season prior, averaging 1.13 fouls committed per 90.

Mainz have already shown they can turn matches into open, end-to-end contests - and that matters against a Leverkusen side that looks dangerous going forward but remain vulnerable away from home.

After a goalless draw in their opener, Mainz scored 10 goals across their next three Bundesliga matches, including five away at Hamburg and four at Mönchengladbach.

Both of Leverkusen's away games have seen goals at both ends: a 3-2 defeat to Elversberg and a 2-2 draw with Augsburg.

Patrik Schick adds to the visitors' attacking threat, with four goals and one assist in four league appearances, and is expected to start on Saturday.

The case goes beyond the numbers. Mainz arrive in fine attacking form, while Leverkusen have the quality to find the net at any stage - but have also shown they can be exposed on the road.

Union Berlin are under pressure, and that could make this a far more open contest than their early-season results might suggest.

At home, Union drew 3-3 with Frankfurt and lost 3-1 to Schalke, conceding three goals in each of their two matches in front of their own fans.

Elversberg, meanwhile, have already shown they can pose a threat away from home, beating Mönchengladbach 4-3 and averaging 1.47 xG on the road.

Damilola Mokwa is one to watch, having scored twice in four appearances, and is expected to lead the visitors' attack.

The recent goalless draw against Schalke offers a note of caution, but Union continue to leave themselves exposed whenever they push forward.

That's where the strongest case for Both Teams to Score lies: two sides capable of creating chances, with the hosts still struggling to find any defensive stability.

Lerkendal has been a particularly fruitful ground for Rosenborg's attack this season, and their recent results make that even clearer.

They have scored 27 goals in 11 home matches and head into this fixture on the back of five consecutive home wins in the Eliteserien, including a 4-0 victory over HamKam and a 5-3 win against Tromsø.

Sandefjord arrive with a very different record. They have conceded 17 goals in 10 away matches, but have also scored 11 - enough to suggest they shouldn't simply be written off.

That matters because, for all Rosenborg's attacking strength, they have also conceded 13 goals in front of their own supporters.

Both Teams to Score doesn't necessarily require an even contest.

The more convincing scenario is one in which Rosenborg apply constant pressure, Sandefjord leave gaps at the back, and the visitors have enough attacking quality to make at least one of their opportunities count.

Brest are yet to keep a single clean sheet in Ligue 1 this season, and that tells an important story about a side whose attacking performances have been better than their results might suggest.

They have scored seven goals and conceded eight in five league matches, with open contests against Le Mans, Toulouse, Le Havre and Auxerre.

Kamory Doumbia has been one of their main attacking threats, scoring four goals in the opening five rounds, and is once again expected to start behind Ludovic Ajorque.

Angers are less explosive going forward, but Amine Sbaï has contributed one goal and one assist and is also projected to feature in the starting XI.

One statistic stands out above all others: NEC have conceded in all seven of their Eredivisie matches this season, with Both Teams to Score landing in six of them.

That gives Ajax every reason to fancy their chances, especially after scoring 17 goals across their last five league matches.

But NEC carry a genuine attacking threat of their own, having scored seven goals in three away games - an average of 2.33 per match on the road.

Tjaronn Chery has played an important part in that output, scoring three league goals, and is expected to start in Amsterdam.

For Ajax, Oscar Gloukh is also among the projected starters, having registered one goal and four assists in the competition.

BTTS here doesn't require an evenly matched contest. It simply needs a free-scoring Ajax side to face an NEC team that knows how to find the net but is yet to find a way to keep opponents out.

Real Madrid may be favourites, but that doesn't rule out Both Teams to Score - especially against a Villarreal side with enough attacking firepower to cause problems for the Real defence.

The Yellow Submarine have scored in six of their seven league matches, with BTTS landing in six of them.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have seen both teams score in five of their seven fixtures.

There is also an important team-news factor: Dean Huijsen is suspended, and Real have further defensive absences to contend with.

Jude Bellingham is expected to start, having registered three goals and two assists in La Liga.

He also comes into the match after scoring once and providing three assists for England against Croatia.

At the other end, Alberto Moleiro is another likely starter, with two goals and three assists in the league.

It's an appealing combination: two attacks with several players capable of making the difference, facing a Real Madrid side that, despite their superior individual quality, have availability issues in their backline.

Ipswich have already been involved in some high-scoring games this season, including a 5-2 defeat against Man United, a 4-2 loss against Arsenal in the EFL Cup and a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace. Over 2.5 goals has landed in five of their seven matches across all competitions so far.

Similarly, this selection has landed in four of Fulham’s seven competitive fixtures. Arbeloa’s side have found the back of the net against Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Man United, but they remain without a Premier League clean sheet at Craven Cottage. Ipswich have conceded 11 goals across their opening five league matches, and the most recent meeting between these sides finished 2-2.

There were 11 corners when these sides last met at Craven Cottage, while the reverse fixture at Portman Road produced 14. Fulham are averaging 6.00 corners per game across all competitions this season. However, they are also conceding 5.00 per match, meaning their fixtures have averaged exactly 11 corners overall. 

Arbeloa encourages his fullbacks to advance, similar to his predecessor Marco Silva, which means corners remain a market to target. Ipswich are also likely to contribute - they have recorded at least three corners in all five of their league matches so far, including against Liverpool, Man United and Everton. Expecting chances at both ends of the field, corners should flow at Portman Road.

Julio Enciso has recorded more shots than any other Ipswich player this season, and he has landed this selection in three of his five starts across all competitions. The Paraguay international is averaging 3.69 attempts per 90, highlighting the freedom he has been given under Gary O’Neil.

Enciso usually starts in the number ten position, and he doesn’t usually hesitate to pull the trigger once the space opens up. 11 of his 17 shots in total this season have come from outside the box, but he should be able to find chances of a higher quality nature against Fulham this weekend, as the Cottagers have struggled to limit chances for their opponents so far.

Enciso is also averaging 1.95 fouls drawn per 90, which is the highest figure among regular starters in the Ipswich squad. He has drawn multiple fouls in four of his five starts, and the Paraguay international should find duels against Shea Charles in the middle of the pitch.

After completing a summer move from Southampton, Charles has only recorded one foul across his four league starts for Fulham. However, there is every expectation for that figure to increase as the season progresses. The Northern Ireland international averaged 1.55 fouls and 2.14 tackles per 90 across all competitions last season for Southampton, which shows how he likes to get stuck into challenges and protect the backline.

Josh King is averaging 2.81 shots per 90 across all competitions for Fulham this season, having been entrusted with a significant role in the number ten position by Arbeloa. The 19-year-old has recorded multiple shots in all five starts, landing this selection in four of those appearances, and he already has two league goals to his name.

It hasn’t been the best start to the campaign for Fulham, who have collected only two points from their opening five league matches, but King has been their most promising player, always looking to make things happen in the final third. He leads the Cottagers with seven shots on target from seven appearances across all competitions, and this looks like a favourable matchup for him against Ipswich.

Cambridge have taken to life in League One well following last season’s promotion; 6th in the table, unbeaten in five and just one defeat suffered.

At the other end of the spectrum, Blackpool. Winless in four, two points above the drop zone and a worrying 11 goals conceded across their last four.

The number of goals conceded is worrying enough, but gaffer Ian Evett’s comments after their last defeat did little to calm any fears.

He said that the side are “feeling sorry for themselves”, look like a “fearful team” and that overall confidence is lacking.

He’s had an international break to attempt fixing things but I’m doubtful, the problems are just a repeat of last season’s struggles.

They had one of the worst defences in the league, conceding more than two of the four relegated sides, with the xG data implying that they should’ve finished in the drop zone themselves.

They showed no improvement in shipping two to a youthful Crewe side in the EFL Trophy in midweek, I think they’ll struggle playing away to a confident Cambridge side. 

I just can’t have the managerial appointment of Robbie Savage at Peterborough. He’s jumped up two divisions for this job having done nothing to warrant it.

If anything, Forest Green regressed under him. They’d just finished 3rd when he took over and he led them to a 7th placed finish before leaving them winless in four and in the bottom half. That’s all while being able to spend pretty freely, just as he did at Macclesfield.

Peterborough have managed one win all season and are just a point above bottom, they need a lot of help and I don’t see that coming from Savage. Especially not overnight.

Leicester haven’t lived up to expectations thus far but they have only lost two of eight, and wins over Plymouth and Stockport showed glimpses of what they can do.

Russell Martin’s sides can take some time to adapt to his positive, if risky, style so this international break probably couldn’t have come at a better time.

They also picked up Will Smallbone for free during the break which is a smart signing, he’ll provide some added stability in midfield as well as plenty of ability for this level.

They should have more than enough to get past this Peterborough side, especially with the new managerial appointment providing more questions than answers. 

York came up to League Two having won the National League with a haul of 108 points, so it’s no surprise eyebrows were raised when they sacked their manager and brought in Scott Lindsay at the start of the season.

The concerns were unwarranted it seems. The Minstermen are 6th in the table and most importantly they’ve made York a tough place to go. They’ve won all four home games to an aggregate scoreline of 12-3.

It’s not been through luck either, they’ve got the 4th best net xG in the league and their chance creation at home has been relentless, creating an average of over 2 xG per home game.

The combination of Harry Boyes, Alex Newby and Ollie Pearce are to thank. They’ve contributed to 22 goals across eight games so far.

I just don’t see how Northampton can outmuscle such a strong attacking side. They’ve found the net just three times all season, and are yet to score more than a goal in a game. The underlying data backs it up too, their xG of 5.7 is the worst in the league by some distance.

Peterborough just made the crazy decision to appoint Robbie Savage, It’s a recipe for disaster and I can see them getting smashed here.

Savage plays high-risk football. Peterborough have already shipped 13 goals this season and don’t have the quality to apply his methods.

Leicester have improved lately with 1 defeat in 5 league games. They also netted 4 away to Stockport and scored 7 in two EFL trophy matches.

There are statistically stronger games, but this is the shortest odds for a reason.

Strap in for a couple of bonkers stats here.

Wycombe are in fine form, unbeaten in 6 in call comps. They’ve scored 13 in eight league games but also shipped 16. That’s an average of 3.71 per game.

Three of their 4 home games have seen over 2.5 goals.

As for Luton, their away matches have seen a whopping 5.75 goals on average, they’ve conceded 10 in 3 - the most in the division.

Yes, before you say it, I know Chelsea are likely to be without Pedro. I believe Palmer will start and was just having his workload managed.

This selection has paid out in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League matches so far and the 4.40 average goals in their games is the highest in the league.

Their two home games go a step further too, having produced 11 goals.

Chelsea are also one of just four sides who haven’t yet kept a clean sheet.

One of the other four? Bournemouth.

They’ve scored in 4 out of 5 matches, with this selection landing in 3, including both away games.

Harrogate have netted 28 goals already, the 3rd highest in the league, in their pursuit of an immediate return to the EFL.

Their games have averaged 3.75 goals this season, with 10 of their 12 National league paying out on this selection.

Woking home matches have seen 3.67 goals with 5 of their 6 games having 3 or more. They’ve also scored 10 in their last 3.

Veteran striker John Marquis is on fire for the visitors, netting 5 in his last 3.

Kai Havertz picked up an injury over the international break and is very unlikely to be fit in time for this clash, meaning we should see Viktor Gyokeres get his first start of the season in the Premier League.

I think it’s clear to many now that Gyokeres is not an elite striker, and he doesn’t really fit into Arsenal’s system that well, but what he does offer Arteta’s side is a clinical presence in the box against sides that will set up quite deep against the Gunners.

Gyokeres scored home and away against Leeds last season, highlighting how he tends to produce his best performances against this level of opponent. He scored twice in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds at the Emirates last season, which was arguably his best display in an Arsenal shirt.

Gyokeres has been in good form over the international break, scoring in all four of Sweden’s games against Poland, Bosnia and Romania twice. I think he’ll carry that momentum into this game and have a point to prove having basically been pushed out of the starting eleven for Havertz. 

I really like Anton Stach and he reflects the overall attitude and approach of this Leeds side which has been built around the themes of physicality, height and intensity. 

Stach has already scored once this season, with that goal coming on the opening day of the campaign as he converted a free kick to give Leeds all three points away at Forest. That is one of seven shots he’s had so far this season (1.41 per 90), and is one of his best attributes.

Stach is not afraid to take aim from distance having taken five of his seven efforts this season from outside of the box. One of the recent interesting trends with sides taking on Arsenal this season is how many are willing to shoot from distance - it is possibly the only weakness in Raya’s game and Stach will be aware of that.

Stach scored five goals across his 28 starts in the Premier League last season, taking 55 shots across those games (2.08 per 90). This is a nice price for him to find the target at the Emirates with Stach being on free kicks and generally being willing to shoot from distance.

Ethan Ampadu collected more yellow cards than any other Leeds player in the Premier League last season (10), and faces a tough midfield battle here against Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimaraes which is likely to tempt him into collecting his first caution of this campaign.

Ampadu hasn’t been that aggressive so far, committing just four fouls across his five starts in the Premier League, but did commit nine fouls across his four games during the international break with the Wales captain picking up a caution in their 2-1 win over Norway at home.

Ampadu is likely to be in a real tussle with Bruno Guimaraes, who is one of the most consistent players in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls. He’s already won six across just 124 minutes of action for Arsenal this season (4.35 per 90) and also averaged 2.75 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League last season.

Philadelphia have recovered really well from a slow start to the campaign and enter this clash having won each of their last six matches - netting 3+ goals in five of these games.

It’s no secret that Philadelphia have one of the most talented young players to come out of America in recent years with Cavan Sullivan pitching in with 12 goal contributions in the MLS this term despite still being a teenager. It’ll be interesting to see if his planned move to Manchester City materialises now with all the off field issues.

Real Salt Lake have lost four of their last five games ahead of this clash, but did manage to end that run of four consecutive defeats with a 3-0 win over New England last time out, which was a surprising result but one they deserved on the underlying numbers.

Philadelphia should have too much for this Real Salt Lake, even with that morale boosting win the away side earned last time out. Real Salt Lake are also without seven first team members here, including Diego Luna - who is their best player in my view.

There really isn’t much between these sides, San Jose sit slightly higher in the table but both occupy playoff positions in the Western Conference with this game being a good opportunity to spirit those spots.

Colorado notably boast the second best home record of any side in the Western Conference, only league leaders Vancouver have picked up more points in front of their own fans than Colorado with the home side here winning nine of their 13 matches and netting 25 goals in the process.

San Jose have only kept one clean sheet across their last five matches, but have avoided defeat across these games. They ran out 3-1 winners over Portland at home last time out, but did allow Portland to generate an xG of 1.33 and take more shots (18-13).

Furthermore, San Jose actually boast the joint best away record of any side in the Western Conference - once again levelling the playing field between these two as it matches Colorado’s impressive home record. San Jose have netted 24 goals across their 13 away games this term (1.84 per game).

Orlando have been one of my go-to sides for BTTS in the MLS this season, they’ve seen 112 goals across their 27 matches (4.14 per game), which is unsurprisingly more than any other side across the two divisions.

Orlando have lost each of their last three games ahead of this clash, but have seen BTTS in all three of these matches. They’ve also notably been the away side in all of these matches, which is generally where they have struggled all season - winning just three of their 14 games on the road, but still managing to score 25 goals which sums them up quite well.

Columbus have opposite recent form having won each of their last three matches, seeing BTTS in two of these games. They also have a pretty poor record on the road having won just two of their opening 13 matches and have also recently lost their manager following a comment he made to a female referee.

Each of the last five head to head meetings between the sides have seen BTTS, including the most recent clash which saw Columbus come away 2-1 winners in the Open Cup just last month.

Inter Miami are one of the most entertaining teams in football at the moment, there aren’t many sides that can concede 50 goals across 27 matches (1.85 per game) and still sit third in the league having lost just five of these games.

Their scoring power is usually what separates them from the rest of the sides in the division, no side has scored more goals than Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference of the MLS this term (64 - 2.37 per game). 

They clearly trust in their ability to simply outscore the opposition, making them a good team to back for goals at both ends.

DC United have seen BTTS in three of their last five matches, including putting three goals past Western Conference leaders in Vancouver in their most recent away game. 

They should be able to find a way past an Inter Miami side who have only kept one clean sheet across their last five matches - winning just once across these games as well.

Chelsea’s defensive issues are quite deep rooted, the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 21 Premier League matches - stretching all the way back to a shut out against Brentford back in Liam Rosenior’s brief tenure.

Xabi Alonso’s side faced a sobering 3-0 defeat at Brentford just before the international break, which was a result that highlighted the lack of balance and defensive rigidity of the squad. They’ve seen BTTS in their other four Premier League games, conceding 12 goals across these matches: no side has conceded more goals in the Premier League than Chelsea this season.

Bournemouth are one of only three sides in the Premier League yet to register a win domestically, but they have drawn three of their five matches and have found the back of the net in all but one of their games - with that blank coming against Liverpool just before the international break.

This is usually a very entertaining game, each of the last three clashes between the sides at Stamford Bridge has seen BTTS with the meeting last year ending 2-2 with both sides posting healthy xG numbers (2.31-3.14).

Inter have started the season really well as they look to defend their title, which they secured with ease last year - finishing 11 points clear of their closest challenges in Napoli.

They’ve won four of their opening five matches this term, only dropping points to league leaders Roma - who have matched Inter with the exact same record at the start of the season in terms of results, having the edge when it comes to goals conceded (3).

Inter have won all three of their games at home this season, notably netting 12 goals across these matches. They welcome a Parma side who have won just once this season, with that win coming against Genoa who are one of only five sides who sit below them in the table.

Parma have lost both of their away games this season, conceding four goals across the two matches and scoring just once. It’s hard to see how they match the scoring power of this Inter side, who are playing with real confidence in front of their home fans.

Inter beat Parma to nil in both league meetings last season, further underlining the dominance we should see from Cristian Chivu’s side.

Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park for the first time since leaving the club to join Nottingham Forest and I’m a bit concerned about his former club this season from what I’ve seen so far.

Crystal Palace have only managed to win one of their opening five Premier League games, with that victory coming against a Fulham side who I also expect to struggle based on the early signs.

What has been particularly alarming about Palace’s performances so far is how open they look at the back, conceding 11 goals across their five games with only Chelsea (12) conceding more goals in the Premier League so far.

There seems to be an air of discontent too, Sarr and Mateta both pushed for moves away from the club during the summer and there have been rumours of Pierre Sage already having disagreements with the higher ups at Palace.

Forest have scored four goals across their five games so far, but have recorded an xG of 7.30 from these matches. I think they are in a better spot than Palace at the moment and should be able to benefit from the defensive issues currently troubling Sage’s side. 

This is the game of the weekend, everyone will be watching to see how Anfield greets Manchester City following the news that dominated the second half of the international break that City had been found guilty on almost all of their 115 charges.

It’s easy to get sucked into the narrative around the game, but I'm focusing on what I’ve seen from these sides on the pitch so far - with City entering this game having won all five of their Premier League matches, scoring the second most goals of any side in the division (13) behind Brighton (16).

City have scored in all three of their away matches across all competitions against Palace, United and Porto - scoring multiple goals in two of these assignments. They also take on a Liverpool side that is depleted following the international break with Gakpo, Isak and Jacquet all being doubts for this game.

Liverpool have only managed to keep one clean sheet across their four games at Anfield this term across all competitions. I think they’ll miss the presence of Jacquet in particular here, leading to City having enough chances to find the back of the net.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on Serie A this season then you will have noticed a substantial increase in goals and this is directly linked to the rule changes that have been introduced in the league this season which make it a much more enjoyable product.

Only 10 sides in Serie A have actually managed to keep a clean sheet so far this season, highlighting exactly how these rule changes have led to more goals. Sassuolo are one of those teams, having conceded nine goals across their opening five games of the campaign.

Milan haven’t fared much better defensively with only two clean sheets from their opening five games. Ruben Amorim’s style is very chaotic and almost always leads to chances at both ends, which is something Sassuolo can benefit from as they’ve managed to score as many goals as they’ve conceded this season (9).

Real Betis are such a hard team to beat when they’re in front of their own fans and have won each of their three home games at the start of this campaign.

They’ve won these games without conceding a goal too, being the only side in LaLiga to keep a clean sheet in each of their three opening home matches. Their scoring power could be better from these games, but the overall control is worth factoring in to any angle in this game.

Osasuna have struggled on the road in LaLiga so far this season, winning just one of their three away matches. They’ve conceded 10 goals across these games (3.33 per game) - which is the third highest tally in LaLiga for sides when travelling away from home.

Betis beat Osasuna 2-0 in this fixture last season, and I can see a similar sort of scoreline playing out here with how both sides have started the season. I can’t see Osasuna being able to find a way past this stubborn Betis backline, and even if they do - it’s likely that they are outscored with their poor defensive record on the road. 

I’m kicking off with a selection favouring the visitors. Madrid have conceded eight times already this season and haven’t impressed me defensively in the slightest.

Perez netted his first of the season just prior to the international break and has averaged a hefty 1.81 shots on target per 90 minutes.

His shot volume is considerable too at 3.88 per 90 minutes.

He’s had a shot on target in all five of his starts so far this season and also managed to hit the target in a 29 minute cameo against Alaves.

His seven shots on target is the second highest in the Villarreal squad.

Mbappe has drawn an average of 1.14 fouls per 90 minutes in La Liga this season and his recent form in this market has been excellent with five fouls drawn in his last two - two against Atleti and three against Elche.

Of course, Mbappe becomes a bit of a target because of his personality but also his ability. He’s averaging above three shots on target per game and already has four goals.

Renato Veiga and Santiago Mourino have combined for 13 fouls so far this season at the heart of the Villarreal defence.

The price here looks generous for a player who has committed nine fouls already this season, the second-highest in the Villarreal squad.

That makes his average a hefty 2.14 per 90 minutes, so 1.44 for one foul on various sites looks like a very nice price.

Buchanan will line-up on the left of midfield and he works back defensively, as a player who can also play full-back.

He’ll line up against either Yan Diomande or Arda Guler who draw 3.44 and 2.89 fouls per 90 minutes, respectively.

Six of Madrid’s seven games so far have seen three or more match goals with an average of 3.71 per match.

They’ve also managed just one clean sheet in La Liga. It’s deserved too, as they’ve conceded an average of 1.44 xGA per match, but they are creating a huge 2.55 xGF.

As for the visitors, they’ve also seen this selection land in six out of seven games and their matches have averaged 3.57 goals and they’re one of five sides in the division who are yet to keep a clean sheet up to this point.

They are dangerous going forward and have averaged 1.99 xG per match.

Although not the main derby for either side, this fixture does carry more needle than your standard fixture.

There were six cards and 26 fouls when the two sides met last time in a 0-0 draw.

Birmingham have averaged two cards per match exactly this season and have received over 1.5 in 88% of their Championship outings.

West Brom have been excellent at drawing cards on home soil, with an average of 2.5 per match. No side has left The Hawthorns without a card and 75% have had two or more.

Good price available here on Birmingham’s left-back, who has averaged 1.10 fouls per 90 minutes.

Cochrane has committed a foul in four of his last six, with seven fouls in total, including two in the derby match against Wolves, which is a good match to compare to in terms of temperament.

West Brom have options on the right to go up against Cochrane and they all draw fouls.

Most likely it will be Harry Whitwell. Whitwell has drawn 2.89 fouls per 90, the highest of any player with regular minutes in the Baggies squad.

The other option, and likely to get some minutes is Rabby Nzingoula, who has drawn an average of 2.22 fouls per 90 minutes.

I love taking this selection on Birmingham City games because Iwata loves taking on a strike from distance.

He has got a cannon of a right-foot and has scored some wonderful goals.

If the ball drops to him, you can be pretty confident he’s going to let fly.

Iwata has averaged 1.27 shots per 90 and has had at least one shot in each of his last five games, having two shots in three of those. He’s had at least one shot in seven of his nine starts this season.

Iwata’s 10 shots this season is the fourth highest in the Blues’ squad.

There was 26 fouls when these two last met and it should be a feisty affair as mentioned.

Morgan has been an excellent addition for West Brom and provides serious value at the top-end of the pitch. He is also very prominent in the foul markets.

Morgan has averaged 2.09 fouls per 90 minutes in the Championship this season so the 1+ at odds of around 1.25 is a nice little addition to a bet builder.

He’s committed one or more fouls in seven of his eight Championship matches this season and racked up three in the derby match against Wolves.

The Dutch international picked up a hamstring injury while playing for Netherlands during the international break, which is a massive blow for the Black Cats as he bagged a hat-trick against Man City in his last domestic match. Dan Ballard was another casualty during the Nations League fixtures, so Regis Le Bris’ men look depleted. 

Meanwhile, Brighton beat Arsenal 3-0 at home just before the break, bagging their 16th goal of the season despite being just five matches in. They have been the most efficient side in the Premier League in the final third so far. The Seagulls also progressed past Man United in the EFL Cup, after winning 3-2 at Old Trafford, so they are a side full of confidence at the moment.

Despite their impressive start, cards have still been a consistent market to target for Brighton. They have landed this selection in six of their eight matches across all competitions, averaging 2.25 cards per game. The only misses came against Coventry and Tromso, but Brighton won those matches by an aggregate score of 9-0.

This should be a much more competitive fixture, particularly with Sunderland playing at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats have drawn at least two cards from their opponents in five of their seven matches across all competitions. They are unlikely to sit back and absorb pressure from Brighton this weekend - Sunderland will look to get on the ball and establish themselves on the ball, so Brighton should have enough defensive work to get through.

Charalampos Kostoulas has been another standout performer for Brighton this season, and he is averaging an impressive 4.42 shots per 90 across all competitions. The Greek international found the back of the net in each of his final three appearances before the break, landing this selection against both Arsenal and Man United.

Kostoulas has three goals and one assist to his name this season, and the 19-year-old has certainly not lacked confidence. After having a limited role under Fabian Hurzeler last season, Kostoulas has shown his quality so far, and he will hope to pick up where he left off just before the international break.

Nordi Mukiele averaged 0.88 shots per 90 across all competitions for Sunderland last season, with that figure rising significantly to 1.42 at the Stadium of Light. That trend has continued into the new campaign, as Mukiele has accumulated nine shots across five matches, with eight of those attempts coming on home turf.

When playing at right back, the Frenchman likes to push forward and join the attacks, while he is also a massive threat from corners and free-kicks due to his aerial ability. Brighton have been excellent this season, but they have at times shown a vulnerability at the back, having conceded twice against Man United, and four times against Chelsea. Both of those were away fixtures.

Pascal Gross has been a key reason behind Brighton’s excellent start to the season, and his performances earned him September’s Premier League Player of the Month award. The German international scored the opening goal against Arsenal, before then providing an assist for Chema Andres during the 3-0 victory over Arsenal.

Gross has also been a notable contributor to Brighton’s disciplinary record - he has picked up two yellow cards from the opening five league matches. He is averaging 1.60 fouls per 90 and has committed at least one infringement in every league match, including multiple fouls in three of those. Gross has shown a bit more of a willingness to jump into tackles this season, operating in the midfield double pivot.

Frosinone have had a superb start to the season. They’ve scored nine goals in five games and have suffered just one defeat - a narrow 1-0 to Juventus.

Massimiliano Alvini has already scooped a manager of the month award for how well his newly promoted side have started.

A key to that has been Raimondo. The 22 year-old striker has already netted four times in five games and has averaged 1.30 shots on target per 90.

His six shots on target and 14 shots are the highest in the Frosinone squad.

I’m all in on Frosinone picks for this bet builder and the next three are all player fouls. Frosinone are very aggressive, they press hard and play at a high-intensity.

Schmid is one of the midfield anchors, he has averaged 1.40 fouls per 90 minutes so far.

The Austrian has committed one or more fouls in four out of five games and interestingly, his numbers have been substantial in their toughest games.

He made four fouls against Juventus and two against Fiorentina.

Stanislav Lobotka is Napoli’s most fouled player. He’s been fouled 11 times already this season and will be in the midfield fight with Schmid.

Schmid’s partner in crime is Calo. So again, another player who’ll have to deal with Lobotka. Anguissa and Gilmour also draw good foul numbers in that Napoli midfield.

Calo has averaged 1.49 fouls per 90 minutes and has committed one or more fouls in five of his six Serie A matches.

Again, his numbers jumped up in that test against Juve. Calo made three fouls in that match. So seven combined with Schmid, making up more than 50% of Frosinone’s 15 fouls in that game.

Last up is the Frosinone left-back, Gabriele Bracaglia.

He’s already been carded three times this season and racked up 12 yellows in 32 games in Serie B last season.

The 23 year-old has averaged 1.74 fouls per 90 minutes this season and has committed the second most fouls in the Frosinone squad (8).

Again, he has committed a foul in four out of five Serie A matches and racked up three against Fiorentina. 

His direct opponent will be Matteo Politano, who has been fouled four times so far this season, the second-most in the Napoli squad, at an average of 1.08 times per 90 minutes.

It’s hard to see how this will be a low scoring game with all of the background noise affecting Manchester City following on from the announcement that City have been found guilty of nearly all of the 115 charges put to them three years ago.

Ironically, City now travel to face the side who suffered more as a result of City’s cheating more than any other side in the Premier League. Liverpool will be eager to welcome them too, having only lost one of the last six meetings between the teams at Anfield - with half of these games seeing 3+ goals.

Liverpool have seen 3+ goals in three of their four games at Anfield this season, with the exception of a 0-0 draw against Fulham that saw both sides combine to produce an xG of 1.98 as well as 42 touches in the box.

Liverpool are set to be without Jeremy Jacquet for this clash which is a big miss to a back line that already looked pretty vulnerable. I think City will be able to score here, and Liverpool should have all the motivation they need to contribute to this tally as well.

Unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland has had more shots on target than any other player in the Premier League across the opening five games of the season.

I thought that he may have some slight issues in adapting to Maresca’s style of play, but that hasn’t been the case with the striker looking even better than he did last season having scored five goals across his five starts from 10 shots on target (2.0 per 90).

Haaland enjoyed a strong international break too, scoring three goals across his four games for Norway from 18 shots (4.81 per 90), seeing half of those efforts find the target (2.40 per 90).

Haaland has scored in each of his last three appearances against Liverpool, netting a hat trick when the sides last met in the FA Cup earlier this year. He had 2+ SOT in all three of those games, actually finding the target on three occasions in two of those assignments.

Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are real doubts for this game having picked up injuries during the international break, setting the stage for Bradley Barcola to make his first real impact in a Liverpool shirt.

Barcola has everything to be a top winger, he’s really quick and regularly gets into promising positions. His issue over the last few seasons has been converting these opportunities, his final product has been a bit lacking even in his early few weeks at Liverpool - but he’s still been getting into decent positions to take aim.

He started both games against Belgium for France over the international break, having 2+ shots in both games and also finding the target in both matches. He also had an effort on target against Bournemouth just before the international break, and notably averaged 1.59 shots on target per 90 for PSG in Ligue 1 last season. 

There aren’t many players who will be as fired up as Dominik Szoboszlai for this game, who has been moved to a slightly deeper role by Andoni Iraola as he tries to find the best balance for his midfield.

Szoboszlai has committed 10 fouls across his five starts in the Premier League already this season (2.04 per 90). This is a substantial increase on his foul numbers from last season (1.14 per 90), with Liverpool generally playing with more intensity under Iraola as they attempt to understand his style of play.

Szoboszlai will be directly up against a trio of Cherki, Anderson and Fernandez who have all shown promise when it comes to winning fouls this season - Anderson and Fernandez are the two shortest players in the market with most bookmakers to be fouled here, giving Szoboszlai the perfect direct opponents to commit at least one foul. 

Hull rank top of the Premier League charts for total yellow cards this season, with 18 bookings from their five matches. They have landed this selection in every league game so far, including ten yellow cards across their final two fixtures before the international break against Chelsea and Newcastle.

The Tigers like to be strong in their tackles and compete for every loose ball, which has been a theme under Sergej Jakirovic. Last season, Hull picked up the most yellow cards in the Championship. This looks like a difficult matchup for the Tigers against an Everton side who have forced at least two cards from their opponents in four of their last five fixtures.

Everton are averaging 5.14 corners per game across all competitions this season, landing this selection in four of their seven matches. They finished on exactly four corners in all three misses, highlighting how consistently they have got close to this line. David Moyes likes his side to utilise width and get crosses into the box at every available opportunity. 

Meanwhile, Hull are conceding an average of 5.43 corners per game. They have started the season strongly in terms of results, but goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis has played a significant role in that success. Opponents have generally found no issue in carving out shooting chances against Hull, and Everton are expected to control proceedings at the MKM Stadium this weekend.

James Tarkowski is perhaps Everton’s biggest threat from set pieces, and he has registered a shot in five of his six starts this season. The centre-back even scored the equalising goal against Bournemouth a few weeks ago, firing home a rebound during stoppage time to rescue a point at the Vitality Stadium.

Tarkowski is strong in the air, and he is usually the target when Everton send balls into the box. With Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Garner usually the ones responsible for crossing the ball in, Tarkowski is always in the game. Hull have conceded an average of 13.8 shots per game this season, so there should be chances for the Everton centre backs to get forward here.

No Hull player has recorded more shots in the Premier League this season than Mohamed Belloumi, who really announced himself by scoring a brace at Stamford Bridge. His two goals helped the Tigers earn an impressive 2-2 draw against Chelsea, and he has established himself as one of Hull’s danger men going forward.

Belloumi is averaging 2.94 shots per 90 from his five league appearances this term, landing this selection in four of those matches. Considering Hull have spent a lot of time this season defending deep and trying to protect their leads, those figures are impressive. In their only league defeat, the Tigers accumulated 22 shots against Newcastle, with Belloumi accounting for five of those.

Belloumi has carried a significant attacking threat, but his defensive contribution has been equally impressive. The winger often tracks back to support Lewie Coyle defensively, while also leading the press for Hull from the front at times. 

Belloumi ranks top of the Hull squad for tackles, averaging 3.62 per 90 in the Premier League. That includes six tackles against Newcastle just before the international break. He is also averaging 1.58 fouls per 90, demonstrating his willingness to get stuck into duels and attempt to regain possession for his side. Belloumi should operate on the same flank as Jack Grealish this weekend, and Everton are likely to channel the majority of their play down that flank, which will bring Belloumi into the game.

After returning to Everton over the summer, Grealish was trusted to start their final two games before the international break. He drew four fouls against Wolves in the EFL Cup before winning another two free-kicks against Ipswich. Last season, the winger averaged 3.29 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions for the Toffees.

Grealish remains one of the best players in the league when it comes to inviting contact and forcing defenders into challenges. He can be a frustrating player to deal with, and Lewie Coyle will have the tough task of trying to contain him. The Hull captain is averaging only 0.81 fouls per 90 and has been carded once across six starts, but this promises to be his toughest matchup of the season.

Harrison Armstrong seems to have established himself as an important starter in Everton’s double pivot. The 19-year-old has started six out of seven competitive matches for his side this season, and he has completed the full 90 minutes in five of those appearances.

Armstrong is averaging 1.68 fouls per 90 in that time, landing this selection in three of those starts, and he has already collected two yellow cards. Those numbers reflect how much of a role he is given with protecting the backline - no Everton player has accrued more fouls than Armstrong so far this season. He should find duels against Oli McBurnie this weekend, as the striker often drops deeper to get on the ball. The Scottish international is averaging 2.34 fouls drawn per 90 this campaign.

Oli McBurnie has been amongst the fouls this season - he is also averaging 1.43 fouls committed per 90, picking up two yellow cards from five Premier League appearances. The striker is always willing to engage in a physical duel, and Hull usually play quite direct to McBurnie to get him as involved in the game as possible. 

The 30-year-old should find plenty of duels against Tarkowski here, who is equally as aggressive. With that being said, the Everton centre-back does tend to go down easily at times to buy soft free-kicks, and he is averaging 1.50 fouls drawn per 90 this season. That is the second-highest figure in the Everton squad behind Grealish.

Thierno Barry has made an impressive start to the season, scoring five goals from seven appearances in all competitions. That includes a hat-trick against Preston in the EFL Cup, as well as goals against Crystal Palace and Ipswich in the Premier League.

The Frenchman is averaging 4.35 shots per 90, which is notably high, and he could easily have added more goals to his tally. Barry has shown a massive improvement when it comes to finding space inside the penalty area compared to last season, and with the likes of Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall operating behind him, chances should continue to flow for the 23-year-old.

After returning to Everton over the summer, Grealish was trusted to start their final two games before the international break. He drew four fouls against Wolves in the EFL Cup before winning another two free-kicks against Ipswich. Last season, the winger averaged 3.29 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions for the Toffees.

Grealish remains one of the best players in the league when it comes to inviting contact and forcing defenders into challenges. He can be a frustrating player to deal with, and Lewie Coyle will have the tough task of trying to contain him. The Hull captain is averaging only 0.81 fouls per 90 and has been carded once across six starts, but this promises to be his toughest matchup of the season.

I was not surprised at all to see Enzo Fernandez as the shortest player with most bookmakers to pick up a card in what should be a really intense game.

Fernandez hasn’t been at City very long, but has still managed to become a fan favourite and the main reason for that is his passion.

He’ll relish being part of a side that everyone hates, and you’ll see that in his general demeanour on the pitch.

Fernandez picked up his first caution in a City shirt in another recent high profile game as City came away 1-0 winners over Manchester United, despite dropping down to 10 men.

It definitely won’t be the last caution that Fernandez picks up for City seeing as he collected 10 yellow cards across his 35 starts in the Premier League for Chelsea last season, averaging 1.04 fouls committed per 90.

Every Juventus game I tip on, I keep coming back to fouls for the Portuguese winger, I’m surprised his odds haven’t shortened further when you look at some of the other prices available.

Conceicao has averaged a massive 2.75 fouls per 90 minutes in Serie A this season. He’s made at least two fouls in three of his five league games so far.

Including racking up four against both Parma and Frosinone.

He is very aggressive in his desire to get the ball back and will hunt down his opposite number to try and turn over the ball as quickly as possible.

He was also sent off in the international break for Portugal.

Of course, the wide man is also a threat going forward. He’s averaged 1.25 shots on target per 90 minutes and his five shots on target is the most in the Juve squad.

He’s had one or more in four out of five Serie A matches so far this season.

Against Inter, Cagliari conceded seven shots on target and they’ve conceded an average of 4.20 per 90 minutes.

Juventus can be frustrating at times but they have only been beaten once so far and produced an excellent 2-0 win against Atalanta before the break and also a drubbing of NEC in Europe.

The Frenchman can be an incredibly frustrating watch, as Juve fans are finding out. One thing he does do well at though, is winning fouls.

He’s been fouled eight times so far this season, the most of any Juve player, working out at an average of 1.60 times per 90 minutes.

He’s been fouled at least once in four out of five games this season. He’s also one of the more nailed on players for good minutes, as he’s played 90 in every game bar one; in which he played 88 minutes.

The young midfielder, on-loan from Roma, has had an excellent start to the season and earned himself game-time for Italy in the international break.

Romano has been racking up plenty of shots and the price here looks generous, especially with some of the space that Juve give up in midfield.

He’s had seven shots so far, an average of 1.42 per 90 minutes and the third most in the Cagliari squad.

He’s had at least one shot in every single game this season and also managed one in both of his starts for Italy during the break.

It’s been a big week for Southampton manager Tonda Eckert, but with Spygate now finally put behind him, full focus can now go towards pushing for promotion again this season, and what’s left is a Southampton attack that can’t stop scoring.

Their 15 goals in 4 home games is the most by any Championship side since Reading tallied 16 in the 2008/09 season, which explains why clean sheets are so hard to come by at St Mary’s. But defensively, they’ve been leaking goals too, with their only clean sheet this season coming in Round 1 of the EFL Cup away to League 2 side Colchester.

Portsmouth have done their bit, too, only failing to score twice all season, and averaging 1.2 goals per 90 in the league. Last seasons 0-0 is an obvious concern, but only 3 of the last 10 meetings between these sides,  a run stretching back to 2004, have ended with a team keeping the other out.

If Portsmouth are to hurt Southampton, Segecic is likely to be at the heart of it. No player has played more minutes for the club than the 22 year old this season, and he’s created 5 big chances already. For context, the next closest teammate has generated 2, so he’s already proving to conduct the attacks.

So far in the Championship, he’s averaged 3.4 shots a game, with 0.6 per 90 landing on target, whilst his 1.7 total xG is second best in the squad. That 0.6 is modest on its own, but Portsmouth's shot map only further points towards his success - 62% of all their shots have come through the central channel, whilst 49% have come within the 18 yard box, with the intersection of these zones landing directly in the positions Segecic tends to pick up.

When Southampton played Bristol in their most recent home fixture, Dom Ballard manged two shots on target from this same position in his 58 minutes on the pitch, so if you’re looking for Southamptons defensive frailty, then it’s here.

With Kamara expected to continue starting out on the the right for Pompey, Ryan Manning will be in for a busy afternoon.

Not only does the Irish international play a huge part in providing width in the attack, but he's equally important at providing defensive cover out wide. Kamara has won 7 fouls in his last 5 games, and is drawing 1.65 per 90 in the Championship this season, so he’s a player opponents tend to bring down.

Manning at left back will be the man trying to stop him, but just as much as Kamara wins them, he commits them. In each of his last 5 starts he has brought a man down, picking up 2 yellow cards in the process, whilst continuing that trend with 4 fouls in his 4 appearances during the international break.

That side of the pitch will certainly see action, with most of Portsmouth’s attacks coming down that wing, so this I’ll be surprised if Manning isn’t penalised at some point in the match.

Set pieces are one of the Saints best routes to goal, and summer signing Keven Schlotterbeck has taken to them instantly.

Thanks to the high-quality deliveries from Ward-Prowse, Manning and Scienza, the 6’2” German recorded a headed shot on target in his debut against Milwall, before scoring on his second outing against Birmingham. He’s also had 5 shots in his last 5, each of which resulting from a set-piece, with all but one of them headers.

In fact, only Bristol City and West Ham have scored more set-piece goals than Southampton in the Championship this season, whilst Portsmouth are averaging 11.7 fouls per 90, so dead-ball chances should be plentiful. A defender is always a slightly cheeky shots pick, but 5 in 5 is a pattern, not luck.

Cyle Larin has taken the Championship by storm, leading the charge for the league’s top goalscorer, but the Canadian is quiety (or not so quietly) getting stuck in, too. In his 8 league appearances this season, he's committing 2.11 fouls per 90, with his last 5 matches reading 0, 2, 3, 2, 3. With the nature of the derby factored in, I’d be surprised if that didn’t add even more fuel to the fire.

Those numbers aren’t a fluke, either. Prior to his January move to the South Coast, he committed 4 fouls in his lacklustre 152 minutes for Eredevisie giants Feyenoord. Meanwhile, Pompey’s Ebou Adams wins 2.83 fouls per 90 in all competitions this season, with teammate and centre-back Poole winning 1.36, so neither will be afraid to go down if Larin gets too close.

2+ is certainly a bigger ask than 1+, but given his recent run and the feisty clash for territorial bragging rights, it’s well within his reach.

Tuten has had over 9.5 receiving yards in 3/4 games this season, including both of his last 2 where he had 17 vs. the Patriots in Week 3 and 18 vs. the Bengals in Week 4.

He has already had 54 receiving yards this season, meaning he's well on track to surpass his 79 receiving yards in 2025. Tuten could do this on Sunday against a Eagles side that ranks 16th in the NFL in opposing passing yards per game (222.0) and who conceded a whopping 309.0 passing yards in their 20-24 defeat to the Rams in Week 4.

With 7 receptions from 4 games already this season - compared to 10 from 15 games throughout all of 2025 - it is clear the Jaguars RB is being targeted more this campaign (7 targets so far in 2026, 14 targets in all of 2025) and he should be able to get over this modest total in London.

Tuten has scored 2 TDs this season - against Denver and New England - and has had 277 rushing yards in 4 games so far. This is just 30 short of his overall total in 2025, despite playing 15 games.

It is clear that Tuten is being trusted far more by this Jaguars team, while he also had 2 TDs called back last week because of holding penalties. With an impressive 4.6 rushing yards per carry, he could profit against an Eagles side that is expected to have to spend a lot of time on the field defensively due to their offensive struggles.

With the Eagles 23rd in opponent rushing yards per game (122.0) and Jacksonville 3rd with a red zone scoring percentage (TD only) of 81.82%, Tatum could have a number of opportunities to reach the end zone, particularly as he also leads the Jaguars in red-zone carries

The Eagles offense sits 26th in the NFL with an average of 18.8 PPG and are likely to be without a number of key players. The trip to London means DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dallas Goedert (knee) may not feature, while Eagles star RB Saquon Barkley left the field last week with a hamstring injury too.

Meanwhile, the Eagles face a Jacksonville side that has the 2nd-tightest defense in the NFL, averaging just 13.3 OPP PPG and 1.3 opponent TDs per game. All of the Jaguars last 3 games finished with 41 points or fewer, and their Week 1 win vs. the Browns only had 44 points. The Jaguars should be able to hold off the Eagles, pointing to the Under.

Hurts has gone Over 174 passing yards in 2/4 games this season, although none of his last 2. However, with the Eagles 7.5-point underdogs, this points to it being a passing game for Philadelphia, despite their injuries.

This could be to Hurts' advantage as Jacksonville has the 2nd-weakest defense in terms of opponent passing yards per game (280.3). Last time out, in their 17-22 win vs. the Bengals, the Jags conceded a whopping 414.0 passing yards.

Over their last 3 games, Jacksonville also has the weakest passing defense in the NFL with an average of 312.0 opponent yards conceded per game. Hurts averaged 201.5 passing yards per game last season and even though he's down to 178.3 over the first 4 games in 2026, he should be able to surpass this modest total in London based on these Jags numbers

With 8 passing TDs already this season, Lawrence faces an Eagles side that ranks 16th in the NFL on opponent passing yards per game (222.0).

Last time out vs. the Rams, the Eagles allowed 309.0 yards and with cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and pass rusher Jonathan Greenard potentially absent for this game in London, they could be weakened considerably.

Lawrence has had 4 passing TDs in his last 2 games - 3 vs. New England and 1 vs. Cincinnati - and if he can find a foothold early in this one, he should be able to clear 1.5 passing TDs, not least because the Eagles are likely to be defending for most of the game due to their banged-up offense.

Utrecht have conceded 13 goals in their three Eredivisie home matches this season, but they have also scored in every one of them.

Willem II's away record tells a similar story: 10 goals conceded in three games, with the visitors finding the net on each occasion.

Despite sitting bottom of the table, Willem II average 10.33 shots per away game, while Devin Haen has three league goals to his name.

All six of those home and away fixtures have also produced at least 27 shots in total, highlighting how open their games have been.

Utrecht could be without their leading scorer Artem Stepanov, who has five goals, although Adrian Blake and Dani de Wit have contributed two apiece.

Both teams have scored in all six of those fixtures. With neither defence offering much resistance, there is a strong case for BTTS.

Como are yet to keep a clean sheet in Serie A this season.

That is a concern with league leaders Roma coming to town, particularly given the visitors' impressive scoring form.

However, Cesc Fàbregas' side pose a significant attacking threat themselves, averaging 2.44 xG and 23.4 shots per game, with nine goals scored in five league outings.

Roma have been even more prolific, scoring 14 times in five matches.

Donyell Malen has accounted for six of those goals and is expected to start again.

The obvious counterargument is Roma's away defensive record: no goals conceded in two matches. It is still a small sample, though.

Como's attacking numbers suggest they have the firepower to test that record, while Roma's goalscoring form makes it difficult to look past the visitors finding the net themselves.

The Rhineland derby brings together two sides who are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Bundesliga this season.

Köln have scored in all four league matches, averaging 17 shots and 1.75 xG per game, but they have also conceded nine goals along the way.

Gladbach's defensive record is even more alarming: four defeats, 16 goals conceded and an average xGA of 2.12 per match.

There are reasons for caution, though. Gladbach have failed to score in both away fixtures, while Köln have lost forwards Dallinga and Ache to injury.

Even so, with neither defence looking particularly secure, BTTS remains worth considering.

All three of Excelsior's Eredivisie home matches this season have seen both teams score. The same is true of Groningen's three away fixtures.

Both sides have scored 15 goals in seven league games, although their defensive records tell a different story. Groningen have conceded 13, compared with nine for Excelsior.

Groningen have been particularly vulnerable on the road, shipping 2.33 goals per game on average and recording 2.17 xGA.

That should encourage an Excelsior side who have scored in every league match so far.

The hosts have hardly been convincing at the back either, conceding five goals across their three home fixtures.

Six matches across the relevant home and away records, six BTTS outcomes. Both sides have shown they can score, and neither has managed to keep opponents out consistently.

Auxerre have lost both away matches so far, but they have managed to find the net on each occasion despite conceding eight goals across those two fixtures.

Rennes, meanwhile, remain unbeaten at Roazhon Park, where they have scored six times in three games while averaging 1.81 xG and 17 shots per match.

Esteban Lepaul has been Rennes' main attacking threat, scoring three league goals. Auxerre also have a player in form, with Cameron Archer netting three times in just three appearances.

The visitors have shown signs of defensive improvement, conceding only once across their last two victories, although both wins came at home.

Away from home, they are still averaging 1.90 xGA per match.

Rennes' attacking output at home, coupled with Auxerre's ability to score even in defeat, makes BTTS an appealing option.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on Serie A this season then you will have noticed a substantial increase in goals and this is directly linked to the rule changes that have been introduced in the league this season which make it a much more enjoyable product.

Only 10 sides in Serie A have actually managed to keep a clean sheet so far this season, highlighting exactly how these rule changes have led to more goals. Sassuolo are one of those teams, having conceded nine goals across their opening five games of the campaign.

Milan haven’t fared much better defensively with only two clean sheets from their opening five games. Ruben Amorim’s style is very chaotic and almost always leads to chances at both ends, which is something Sassuolo can benefit from as they’ve managed to score as many goals as they’ve conceded this season (9).

Emmanuel Longelo is another Motherwell player who appeals in the shots market, and I’m backing him to let fly at least once.

Longelo was arguably the standout left-back in Scotland last season and carries a considerable attacking threat, with plenty of licence to push forward. 

That is underlined by his 8 goals for Motherwell in the top flight last term, alongside an average of 1.39 shots per game.

While he has yet to score domestically this season, he did find the net away at Freiburg in a Europa Conference League qualifier.

The Motherwell ace has also fired 1+ shot in each of his last five Scottish Premiership outings, including Motherwell’s road game at Rangers last month.

With both teams likely to play on the front foot, there looks to be value in backing Longelo to try his luck at least once.

The former Rangers youngster appears to have found a new lease of life at Fir Park, where his willingness to pull the trigger has caught the eye.

Lowry has already racked up 21 shots in the Scottish Premiership this season, a tally bettered by only two players.

A closer look shows that he has attempted multiple shots in four of his last five league appearances, including 5 at home to Dundee United and 6 at home to Aberdeen.

Celtic still look shaky at the back, and their attacking approach should give Lowry space to get a couple of efforts away.

Motherwell look worth siding with to earn at least four corners against Celtic on Sunday afternoon.

Alfred Johansson’s side like to take the game to their opponents, regardless of who they face, and that approach regularly sees them rack up plenty of corners. 

Indeed, the Steelmen are averaging 5.58 corners per game in the Scottish Premiership this season. 

They have earned at least 4 in each of their last five league games, including 5 against Rangers at Ibrox.

As for Celtic, they have conceded 5 corners at Kilmarnock and 6 at St Mirren on their top-flight travels this term.

It’s also worth noting that Motherwell forced exactly 4 flag kicks when the teams met at Fir Park towards the end of last season, further strengthening the case for this selection.

I always am really surprised whenever Cherki is left out of the starting eleven, City have a lot of talented attacking players but he’s the one who really makes things happen - even if he doesn’t quite have the work rate of some other players in the squad.

Cherki has registered five goal contributions across just four starts in the Premier League this season, matching the output of Haaland and Semenyo despite not getting the same minutes in the early weeks of Maresca’s tenure at the club.

Cherki enjoyed a really positive international break too, registering a goal contribution in three of the four matches despite only starting two of these games. He’s made for big games too, many of you will remember the wonderful he scored against Arsenal earlier this year and the Anfield atmosphere won’t affect him too much.

Cherki registered 16 goal contributions across just 19 starts in the Premier League last season, with 12 of these being assists. I think he’ll be one of the City players that is pretty unaffected by the recent news, and be able to cause Liverpool problems.

I was not surprised at all to see Enzo Fernandez as the shortest player with most bookmakers to pick up a card in what should be a really intense game.

Fernandez hasn’t been at City very long, but has still managed to become a fan favourite and the main reason for that is his passion.

He’ll relish being part of a side that everyone hates, and you’ll see that in his general demeanour on the pitch.

Fernandez picked up his first caution in a City shirt in another recent high profile game as City came away 1-0 winners over Manchester United, despite dropping down to 10 men.

It definitely won’t be the last caution that Fernandez picks up for City seeing as he collected 10 yellow cards across his 35 starts in the Premier League for Chelsea last season, averaging 1.04 fouls committed per 90.

This is a really nice price for Mac Allister to pick up a card at Anfield on Sunday, I’d consider taking it as a single as well with how well suited Mac Allister is to Andoni Iraola’s ideal style of play.

Iraola wants to play with intensity, which is something that Liverpool lacked last season - especially in midfield. Trying to fit Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Wirtz and Szoboszlai all into the same midfield is simply not going to work and Iraola has realised that with Gravenberch being the player to drop out.

I personally think that Wirtz should be the one to make way, but it leaves Liverpool with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai to cover a lot of ground and get stuck in. Mac Allister has picked up one yellow card already this season, with that coming against Ipswich - he also collected a caution against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The Colts come into this road game off the back of a trip to London, while Pittsburgh has had a semi-bye week having playing on Thursday.

The handicap being 2.5 makes this bet attractive, particularly when you consider the Steelers' 17-2 all-time record vs. the Colts in Pittsburgh. The Colts rank 30th in the NFL on opponent yards per game with 392.3 (Pittsburgh ranks 13th with 322.3) with Pittsburgh 17th in yards per game (317.8) compared to Indianapolis' 26th (284.3 yards per game).

The Colts may score more (25.5 PPG vs. 19.3) but the Steelers concede fewer (21.8 OPP PPG vs. 26.0). Indianapolis also has the habit of giving up big plays. So based on the circumstances and Pittsburgh's home field advantage, I'll take the Steelers here

Both sides are 0-4, but the Texans are coming into this game after their strongest performance of the season so far, having narrowly lost 30-34 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

Indeed, they were leading 16-6 at halftime, scuppered by a late-game collapse. C.J. Stroud threw for 347 yards and 2 TDs, while the Texans moved the ball well in general. Their defensive issues prevail (joint-27th in OPP PPG with 27.3 and 20th in opponent yards per game with 343.8) but Tennessee ranks 2nd-bottom on PPG at 13.8 and bottom in yards per game (261.3).

Following their good showing against the Cowboys, expect the Texans to continue this momentum against a poor Tennessee side. There are concerns about crossing 7 - maybe go -6.5 as a safer option in this accumulator - but I'm confident enough to back the -7.5

The Browns have won all of their last 3, while the Jets have lost all of their last 3. Their last 2 defeats have been by 7-point (31-24 vs. Detroit) and 11-point (23-12 vs. Chicago) margins too, while against the Bears, they managed a measly 157.0 offensive yards.

The Browns' recent run of form has been off the back of their strong defense and they shouldn't be troubled too much by a Jets side that ranks 25th in the NFL on yards per game with an average of 286.0.

There are clouds for Cleveland though, with Mason Graham (MCL, ankle) and Mike Hall Jr. (ankle) likely to be out through injury. Despite this, the Jets offense has failed to convince, so I'm still fancying the Browns

The Raiders are the 7th highest scorers in the NFL this season, averaging 28.8 PPG. Their lowest scoring game so far this season was 26, when they defeated the Chargers 14-26 in Week 2.

In addition, Raiders QB Kirk Cousins has thrown for 11 TD passes over the 4 games so far. In contrast, the Patriots are not high scorers (ranking 30th in the NFL with an average of 16.3 PPG) but have been kickstarted into life, having scored 29 points in their 26-29 victory over the Bills last week.

Drake Maye seems to have returned to form too, throwing for 269 yards and 3 TDs. With the Raiders 31st in the NFL on opponent yards per rush attempt (5.2), the Patriots could also utilise their rushing game too (they sit 11th with an average of 117.8 rushing yards per game). All this points to the Over

Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park this weekend for the first time since leaving Crystal Palace for Nottingham Forest. Yeremy Pino didn’t quite have the desired impact under the Austrian manager last season, but he has played with more confidence this season on the left wing. 

Pino is averaging 2.28 shots per 90 across all competitions so far, and he opened his account for the season during Palace’s 4-0 Europa League victory over Lech Poznan. The Spaniard is always looking to cut inside onto his stronger right foot, and let fly when the space opens up, and four of his ten efforts in total this season have hit the target.

I was really intrigued to see how Oliver Glasner would make the most of Morgan Gibbs-White in his 3-4-3 shape as he seemed like the perfect player to slot into one of those two roles just behind the central striker.

He’s started the season really well in this role, registering three goal contributions across his five starts and acting as Forest’s most dangerous player. He’s taken 10 shots across these games (2.00 per 90), seeing one of those efforts find the back of the net. 

Gibbs-White scored 15 goals in the Premier League last season, ending the campaign as Forest’s top scorer. He took 83 shots across his 35 starts to reach that tally (2.40 per 90), showing a consistency when it comes to Gibbs-White’s shot output despite the change in style and system at Forest.

Honest Ahanor is on loan from Chelsea at Crystal Palace having signed for the Blues from Atalanta over the summer for an eye raising £40 million fee. 

Chelsea signing relatively unknown youngsters for that sort of transfer fee doesn’t even really surprise many people anymore, but Ahanor is seriously talented and has impressed in his brief appearances for Crystal Palace so far - especially when it comes to winning fouls.

Ahanor was fouled five times on his Premier League debut for Crystal Palace, playing as the left sided centre back in Palace’s 3-4-3 shape. He looked really comfortable on the ball in that game and will now face off against Liam Delap, one of the most careless forwards in the Premier League when it comes to making challenges.

Delap has committed five fouls across his three starts for Forest already this season (1.62 per 90), and maintained an average of 2.04 fouls committed per 90 across 12 starts for Chelsea last season. 

Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park for the first time since leaving the club to join Nottingham Forest and I’m a bit concerned about his former club this season from what I’ve seen so far.

Crystal Palace have only managed to win one of their opening five Premier League games, with that victory coming against a Fulham side who I also expect to struggle based on the early signs.

What has been particularly alarming about Palace’s performances so far is how open they look at the back, conceding 11 goals across their five games with only Chelsea (12) conceding more goals in the Premier League so far.

There seems to be an air of discontent too, Sarr and Mateta both pushed for moves away from the club during the summer and there have been rumours of Pierre Sage already having disagreements with the higher ups at Palace.

Forest have scored four goals across their five games so far, but have recorded an xG of 7.30 from these matches. I think they are in a better spot than Palace at the moment and should be able to benefit from the defensive issues currently troubling Sage’s side. 

Everything Parrott touches turns to gold right now. He was exceptional over the break for Ireland and returns to domestic action having got two goals and an assist in his last three for Betis.

He netted in three of four games over the break, including a brace against Austria.

Parrot managed 20 G/A for Alkmaar last season in just 29 games.

Betis are heavy favourites here and I’m backing them to win (spoiler for the next selection). If Betis play to their potential, the Irishman will be involved.

This feels like one of those moments in a players’ career where they really explode on a larger stage. Having netted the winner at home against Madrid and assisted the winner against Getafe, the stage is set for another big performance.

Real Betis are such a hard team to beat when they’re in front of their own fans and have won each of their three home games at the start of this campaign.

They’ve won these games without conceding a goal too, being the only side in LaLiga to keep a clean sheet in each of their three opening home matches. Their scoring power could be better from these games, but the overall control is worth factoring in to any angle in this game.

Osasuna have struggled on the road in LaLiga so far this season, winning just one of their three away matches. They’ve conceded 10 goals across these games (3.33 per game) - which is the third highest tally in LaLiga for sides when travelling away from home.

Betis beat Osasuna 2-0 in this fixture last season, and I can see a similar sort of scoreline playing out here with how both sides have started the season. I can’t see Osasuna being able to find a way past this stubborn Betis backline, and even if they do - it’s likely that they are outscored with their poor defensive record on the road. 

Another pro Betis selection here and one that has landed in all three of their home matches so far. They’ve averaged 4.67 corners per match on their own turf.

Osasuna have conceded plenty too, they’ve conceded an average of 4.57 and have allowed their opponents four or more in 86% of matches this season.

These numbers rise in away games. They’ve conceded 17 in three matches on their travels, an average of 5.67 per match.

This selection has been a winner against Osasuna in each of their away games this season.

Betis had 75% of the ball in their last home La Liga match, so forcing four corners shouldn’t be an issue.

The evergreen Croatian has started well yet again this season and has five goals in seven matches. Given that Osasuna have scored eight goals, it’s pretty obvious how crucial he is and Betis need to stop him to keep the visitors at bay.

That threat is clear to other sides and he’s been handled firmly so far this season.

Budimir has drawn a huge average of 2.86 ghouls per 90 and his 16 fouls drawn is double that of the next highest Osasuna player.

Budimir has been fouled in all of his appearances so far this season, even when coming off the bench. In-fact, when he’s started, he’s drawn at least two fouls in every game - so we should be safe with one here.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on Serie A this season then you will have noticed a substantial increase in goals and this is directly linked to the rule changes that have been introduced in the league this season which make it a much more enjoyable product.

Only 10 sides in Serie A have actually managed to keep a clean sheet so far this season, highlighting exactly how these rule changes have led to more goals. Sassuolo are one of those teams, having conceded nine goals across their opening five games of the campaign.

Milan haven’t fared much better defensively with only two clean sheets from their opening five games. Ruben Amorim’s style is very chaotic and almost always leads to chances at both ends, which is something Sassuolo can benefit from as they’ve managed to score as many goals as they’ve conceded this season (9).

Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park for the first time since leaving the club to join Nottingham Forest and I’m a bit concerned about his former club this season from what I’ve seen so far.

Crystal Palace have only managed to win one of their opening five Premier League games, with that victory coming against a Fulham side who I also expect to struggle based on the early signs.

What has been particularly alarming about Palace’s performances so far is how open they look at the back, conceding 11 goals across their five games with only Chelsea (12) conceding more goals in the Premier League so far.

There seems to be an air of discontent too, Sarr and Mateta both pushed for moves away from the club during the summer and there have been rumours of Pierre Sage already having disagreements with the higher ups at Palace.

Forest have scored four goals across their five games so far, but have recorded an xG of 7.30 from these matches. I think they are in a better spot than Palace at the moment and should be able to benefit from the defensive issues currently troubling Sage’s side.