Pascal Groß Betting Tips & Predictions

The 32-year-old may be past the peak of his career, but he is still certainly getting involved whenever he’s wearing a Sunderland shirt.

Defensively he proves to be a valuable asset, but he also knows how to win fouls.

Going forward, the Mozambique international attempts only 0.62 dribbles per 90, but in doing so he is averaging 1.25 fouls won a game.

In his last five Premier League appearances, he’s drawn six fouls, reading 1, 1, 1, 2, 1.

With Alex Scott and Kroupi Jr still ruled out for Bournemouth, there is a chance Rayan plays a more central role, with David Brooks featuring out on the right side after being rested midweek against Sturm Graz.

Across his 90 minutes this season, he’s committed three fouls.

If Rayan does start on the right, he’s proven to be less inclined to foul his opponent, but his preferred run into the inside right channel allows right back Smith to get forward too, who commits 1.24 fouls a game instead.

Either way, Reinildo will certainly have a matchup whoever he is against down that flank, and he knows how to use that experience to convince the referee when he feels he’s been hard done by.

Brighton have enjoyed a month full of awards, including Manager of the month, Goal of the month, and German midfielder Gross winning player of the month.

But his matchup against Wharton and Timber is something that is worth paying attention to.

Whilst his attacking numbers have been incredible, the 35-year-old is averaging 1.35 fouls per 90 across all competitions, a number that jumps to 2.0 in the Prem alone.

That figure is only beaten by Chema Andres in the Brighton squad.

Hurzeler’s side will be looking to continue their fine start to the season against rivals Palace, so Gross’ 12 fouls and trend of committing at least one in each of his six starts is not something likely to end here.

Especially when Palace’s Dutch midfielder Timber is drawing 2.5 fouls alone this season, too.

Gross might be involved in the Seagulls' attack, but I also think he gets cautioned at the Amex here as well.

No player has benefitted more form United’s lack of elite striker options than Mbeumo, often starting upfront in place of Sesko, Zirkzee and Cunha.

And even when he does start on the right, he tends to drift into central positions where he can look to get shots away in front of goal.

In the league this season, no United player has scored more than his three, and he tops the clubs rankings for xG and shots taken.

In fact, of his 3.5 shots per 90, 1.3 of them tend to land on target, with 83% of all shots United have taken this season coming from the right and central channels.

Leeds have looked impressive defensively this season, and no team have conceded less goals per 90 than them, only letting in five across their six league matches, keeping two clean sheets along the way.

But what stands out to me is goalkeeper James Trafford is being forced into 4.0 saves a game, the 2nd most in the league, so they concede plenty of chances, too.

Mbeumo started on the bench in their last competitive face-off, but Sesko and Diallo raked up four shots on target between them from positions Mbeumo will likely find himself in.

He’s had six shots on target in his last five, with at least one in each of them, so that’s a trend he’ll be looking to continue here.

Only Brentford this season commit more fouls per 90 than Nottingham Forest, averaging 14.2 a game.

That’s a figure that’s seen them awarded 15 yellow cards this season, too.

Referee Michael Oliver isn’t scared of reaching for his pocket this season, either, dishing out 14 yellows at a rate of 2.8 a game.

He’s also one of seven refs to have produced a red.

In other words, I don’t think he’ll be letting anyone get away with too much in this fixture.

As for Arsenal, they are averaging 15.8 fouls won per game so far, which is the most of any side in the top-flight, whilst Saka sits as the 4th most fouled player of anyone in the league, being brought down three times a game.

Lewis-Skelly has also been fouled in each of his last five appearances, and with Arsenal tending to enjoy the majority of the ball, it’ll require great discipline from Forest to not get reckless in trying to win it back.

I’ve been really impressed with Fabian Hurzeler’s side so far this season, they sit third in the Premier League - behind only Arsenal and Manchester City - having won four of their opening six games and notably scoring 18 goals in the process.

No side has scored more goals in the Premier League than Brighton this season, with the Seagulls scoring eight of these goals across their three home games. They’ve won two of these matches, including beating Arsenal at the Amex just before the international break.

Hurzeler had the luxury of rotating more extremely for Brighton’s midweek Conference League clash, but Sage had to field a pretty similar lineup to the one that started in Lyon - where Palace lost 3-2. 

That lack of squad depth could be the point of difference between these sides, with Brighton looking really strong at home and Palace conceding 12 goals across their opening six matches of the Premier League season. 

Despite sitting third in the league, Brighton have one of the worst disciplinary records this season. The Seagulls are averaging 12.7 fouls per game, which has translated to 13 yellows and one red in just six matches.

They have landed this selection in five league outings overall, with the only failure coming in a 5-0 drubbing of Coventry. With this being a derby day fixture, it is likely to be more competitive and feisty, which makes cards a target. 

These two might not be the most obvious rivals, but recent fixtures have been intense. In fact, over 3.5 cards has landed in each of the last six head-to-head matchups between Brighton and Crystal Palace.

Jorgen Strand Larsen will be the outlet in the final third for Palace this weekend, and he will have plenty of pressure to absorb when the ball gets to his feet.

Brighton like to press aggressively in midfield in an attempt to win back the ball as quickly as possible. The striker is averaging 1.22 fouls drawn per 90 this season across all competitions, and he has been fouled in six of his seven starts overall.

Strand Larsen had an average of 0.79 fouls drawn per 90 in the previous campaign, but his role up front has been much greater so far with Jean-Philippe Mateta out injured.

Brighton have enjoyed a month full of awards, including Manager of the month, Goal of the month, and German midfielder Gross winning player of the month.

But his matchup against Wharton and Timber is something that is worth paying attention to.

Whilst his attacking numbers have been incredible, the 35-year-old is averaging 1.35 fouls per 90 across all competitions, a number that jumps to 2.0 in the Prem alone.

That figure is only beaten by Chema Andres in the Brighton squad.

Hurzeler’s side will be looking to continue their fine start to the season against rivals Palace, so Gross’ 12 fouls and trend of committing at least one in each of his six starts is not something likely to end here.

Especially when Palace’s Dutch midfielder Timber is drawing 2.5 fouls alone this season, too.

Gross might be involved in the Seagulls' attack, but I also think he gets cautioned at the Amex here as well.

Charalampos Kostoulas was afforded a rest midweek, but he is likely to start up front for Brighton at the weekend. The Greek international has started the season in strong form, scoring twice in five Premier League starts. He has racked up a total of 13 shots in that time, averaging 3.03 shots per 90. 

He is a constant danger in the final third, and Kostoulas is playing with confidence at the moment, which naturally makes him a target. Given how poorly Palace defended at the week, and how they conceded three times against Lyon midweek, the Brighton striker should be looking forward to this matchup.