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Did you know that Manchester United had the most shots (595 - 15.6 per game) and shots on target (215 - 5.65 per game) of any side in the Premier League last season?

They’ve started this season in similar fashion, taking 22 shots more than any other side in the Premier League (68 - 22.6 per game) with 19 of them finding the target (6.33 per game).

It’s clear that United are one of the most shot-happy sides in the Premier League, which is one of the main reasons why I like City saves in the derby on Sunday. The likes of Fernandes, Rashford, Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko are all really decent shot threats and can look to test Donnarumma.

United drew five saves from Donnarumma when City last visited Old Trafford back in January, finding the target on seven occasions in that game as they came away 2-0 winners.

What stands out to me about these healthy shot counts is that United players often take on efforts when there are better opportunities available - or attempt speculative shots to try and force a moment with United still struggling for a clear playing identity under Carrick.

That is often why United end up with inflated shot and shot on target numbers, they don’t apply the same level of care and attention to their attempts which should see Donnarumma have quite a few routine saves to make in this game with United being so trigger happy.

Donnarumma has made 3+ saves in all two of his three Premier League matches this season against Bournemouth and Coventry. He averaged 2.29 saves per 90 in the Premier League last term, an average that should rise when factoring in just how quick United are to get shots away and Donnarumma's workload in this fixure last season.

Kicking off with the obvious here. Haaland doesn’t have an incredible record in terms of goals at Old Trafford, but with the way United have defended so far, I think he’ll get his chances to change that.

United have conceded twice in each of their three Premier League matches so far, which have come against Hull, Ipswich and Everton.

They’ve conceded an average of 5.00 shots on target per 90 minutes.

It’s noticeable they’ve been giving up chances to strikers too. McBurnie has two shots on target, Akpom scored for Ipswich and Barry had four shots, one on target for Everton.

Haaland has already scored three goals. He’s averaged 2.67 shots on target per 90 minutes. He also comes into this having scored twice and had four shots on target against Porto in midweek.

I haven’t been hugely impressed with United defensively so far, but their attack has huge potential with Bruno, Rashford, Mbuemo, Cunha and Sesko. 

Although they’ve been conceding for fun, United have also scored seven goals in their last two games.

Bruno of course delivered in extreme fashion against Ipswich with three goals and an assist.

I haven’t been blown away by City defensively, who have conceded in two out of three games despite favorable fixtures.

Fernandes has performed well in this fixture and averages 0.46 G/A per match against Manchester City.

Anderson has committed four fouls across his first three Premier League matches for Manchester City. Notably committing three against Bournemouth, the most challenging game they’ve had so far.

Anderson averaged 1.54 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season and 2.13 in the Europa League.

He also fouled twice in both meetings with Manchester United last season.

United’s central players draw hefty numbers of fouls. Tielemans and Mainoo will likely be the double pivot for United, they’ve drawn an average of 4.12 fouls per 90 combined so far.

Andrey Santos has also drawn 2.22 fouls per 90 minutes despite limited minutes since his opening day start.

This plays into the above selection, hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone and Anderson can take down Tielemans a couple of times.

The Belgian has drawn an average of 2.22 fouls per 90 minutes so far this season and was fouled three times against both Hull and Ipswich.

Of course, I’ve touched on Anderson’s high foul averages which plays a part here too.

In his time at Villa he averaged 1.67, 1.63 and 1.91 fouls drawn per 90 minutes each season with the 1.91 being his most recent campaign.

Maresca sides do like to be aggressive immediately after possession is lost before returning to their shape, so we could see a high count of fouls in midfield here.

PSV really believe in their ability to outscore the opposition, they’ve seen BTTS in each of their last six matches but have avoided defeat in all of these games - winning four of them.

Most recently, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Shakhtar in the Champions League but this is a good chance to get back to winning ways against a Sparta side that have only managed to win one of their five matches in the Eredivisie so far this term.

Sparta have scored nine goals across these games, so they can carry an attacking threat against the reigning champions. BTTS landed in this fixture last season with PSV coming away 6-1 winners, and both sides have managed to get on the scoresheet in four of the last five head to head clashes. 

Each of the last three head to head meetings between these sides has seen BTTS, with the most recent clash producing six goals as Luzern came away 4-2 winners over Basel at home with both sides registering a healthy xG (2.25-2.18).

Luzern come into this game having just contested another six goal thriller against Young Boys, earning a point on the road in a 3-3 draw. That result extends their BTTS hit rate to three games, with Luzern avoiding defeat across these matches.

Basel have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches but have struggled a little more when it comes to form, losing three of these games. They’ve scored 12 goals across their seven league games so far and should be able to offer a threat to this Luzern side in what looks to be quite an equal matchup. 

Feyenoord have made a pretty decent start to the season domestically, sitting third after five matches having won three of these games and avoiding defeat entirely. 

That momentum was punctured slightly by a 5-1 defeat to Barcelona during the week, though Feyenoord did interestingly rotate their starting side for that game in what looked like a bit of an admission of defeat before a ball had been kicked.

Despite avoiding defeat in the Eredivisie so far, clean sheets have been hard to come by for Feyenoord with BTTS landing in each of their last five matches across all competitions.

Zwolle have been quite poor defensively (10 goals conceded - 2.0 per game) but may have a slight fitness advantage on their opponents at this early stage in the campaign with Feyenoord coming back from Barcelona following their Champions League defeat.

The Eerste Divisie is always good for goals and this is another promising matchup between two sides who haven’t made the greatest start to the campaign but have seen plenty of goals in their games.

Volendam have seen 24 goals across their opening five games (14 scored, 10 conceded - 4.8 per game), seeing BTTS in three of these matches. 

This fixture ended 3-2 when these sides faced off last season, and this meeting could be similar with Den Bosch seeing 23 goals across their opening five matches (10 scored, 13 conceded - 4.6 per game). 

Neither backline is that secure at the moment and a repeat of the five goal matchup that took place between the teams last year looks likely.

Both of these sides have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches across all competitions and have made similar starts to the campaign with the sides just one point apart in the table and having two wins from their seven league matches.

Vaduz are a newly promoted side in the Swiss Super League but have been pretty competitive in their matches - scoring 16 goals across these games which is a tally only bettered by the top two sides in the division (Lugano & Young Boys).

However, Vaduz have also conceded 17 goals across these games (2.42 per game) which is a record that has seen their matches take on a basketball feel. Only Zurich (18) have actually conceded more goals than Vaduz in the Swiss Super League this term. 

Not much to say here, Haaland has been in great form at the start of the season again and loves this fixture having put United to the sword on quite a few occasions since joining Manchester City. 

Haaland has scored three goals across his three starts in the Premier League from 14 shots (4.67 per 90), seeing eight of these efforts find the target (2.67 per 90). He also scored twice in the Champions League during the week, finding the target on four occasions from six shots. 

There isn’t a more reliable player to back in the Premier League for shots on target and Haaland should be encouraged with the defensive issues that United have had in the opening weeks of the campaign - failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their three Premier League matches.

I do think United will have some good spells in this game and I think they’ll score and as we know, all that is good about United runs through Bruno Fernandes.

Fernandes has had 16 shots in just three Premier League games - three against Hull, nine against Ipswich and four against Everton, so this selection has paid out comfortably in each match.

Interestingly, City have been allowing shots from players in similar positions to Bruno.

Marcus Tavernier had two for Bournemouth. Against Palace, Nketiah had two and Pino had one. Even against Coventry, with 78% possession, Jack Rudoni managed a shot.

Bruno also has the advantage of free-kicks and penalties.

Semenyo has committed the joint most fouls in the Man City team this season with four, an average of 1.33 per 90 minutes.

Semenyo is a very physical player, it’s arguably his defining attribute. He works hard to track back too and that’ll be no different here.

He’s fouled in every Premier League game so far. He also committed three fouls in the Community Shield against Arsenal and a further three in midweek as City started their Champions League campaign against Porto.

This is more about Semenyo’s aggression and eagerness to press, but Mbuemo has drawn a couple of fouls this season already which is worth noting.

I think we’ll see Mainoo cement his position alongside Tielemans from now on after an excellent display against Everton.

Mainoo loves to get the ball on the half turn and break out of tight situations, which will be key against Maresca’s side.

He’s drawn an average of 1.90 fouls per 90 minutes so far this season. He’s drawn above 1.00 per game on average since breaking into the United side - 1.05, 1.17 and 1.19 season-by-season.

He only played 24 minutes against Hull but in his two following starts, he’s drawn two fouls in each and will be up against the tough tackling Elliot Anderson.

I’m expecting a good game here. Both sides have shown some defensive frailties, United especially, but there’s no doubts about the attacking quality that both possess.

Both sides have seen over 2.5 goals in two out of three games so far, with BTTS also landing in two out of three for both.

If we flick back to last season, United were statistically the most entertaining side to watch in the league with games averaging 3.13 goals and 63% of their games seeing over 2.5 goals, rising to 3.32 at home.

City also saw 63% of their games land this selection, with matches averaging 2.97 goals.

Charalampos Kostoulas has been spearheading the Brighton attack in recent weeks and looks a strong candidate to find the target against Coventry.

The Greek youngster has already produced 6 attempts across his three Premier League appearances this season, including 3 efforts in last week’s 1-1 draw with Leeds. 

He managed 2 shots after coming off the bench against Aston Villa on the opening weekend, underlining his eagerness to pull the trigger. 

Kostoulas was even more active across Brighton’s Europa Conference League play-off tie with Tromso, racking up 10 attempts over both legs. 

With bottom-of-the-table Coventry losing the shot count in 2 of their opening 3 league matches of the season, the Brighton striker should have ample opportunity to register an effort on target.

Taiwo Awoniyi is another player worth targeting in the foul markets when Coventry face Brighton on Sunday.

The powerful striker has committed exactly 1 foul in each of his last three starts, with two of those coming in the Premier League and the other in Coventry’s EFL Cup victory at Plymouth. 

Adding to the appeal is the fact that Awoniyi averaged 1.87 fouls per game in the Premier League last season, although that figure came from a limited number of appearances during an injury-hit campaign. 

He is likely to get involved in physical battles with Brighton centre-backs Lewis Dunk and Luka Vuskovic on Sunday.

The Seagulls duo have drawn 4 fouls between them across their three top-flight outings this term, which adds weight to the case for Awoniyi to overstep the mark at least once.

Jack Rudoni holds plenty of appeal to register at least one shot when Coventry face Brighton on Sunday. 

The attacking midfielder averaged 2.34 attempts per game during the Sky Blues’ promotion campaign last season, highlighting his willingness to get shots away.

That tendency has carried into the Premier League, with Rudoni pulling the trigger once in each of his 3 appearances so far. 

He registered an attempt despite featuring for just 20 minutes as a substitute against Arsenal on the opening night of the season, before also letting fly in subsequent starts against Hull and Manchester City.  

Brighton’s front-foot approach should make for an open contest, giving Rudoni plenty of opportunities to register a shot for the fourth Premier League game running. 

The Brighton midfielder is often in the thick of the action in the middle of the park, which regularly results in him earning free kicks for his side. 

Indeed, Ayari has been fouled in both of his Premier League appearances this season, while he was also brought down in the away leg of Brighton’s Europa Conference League play-off tie at Tromso. 

His knack for drawing fouls was also on display for Sweden at the World Cup earlier this summer, where he was upended in all four of his appearances and 8 times in total. 

Ayari is likely to cross paths with Frank Onyeka on Sunday. 

The Coventry midfielder has already committed 4 fouls across his two Premier League appearances this season, which bodes well for this selection. 

Diego Gomez is no stranger to catching the referee’s attention and looks a strong option to commit at least two fouls against Coventry on Sunday. 

The combative midfielder has been penalised twice in each of Brighton’s last two top-flight matches, continuing a trend that saw him average 2.06 fouls per game in the Premier League last season. 

Gomez also committed at least 1 offence in all four of Paraguay’s matches at the World Cup earlier this summer. 

His defensive responsibilities could bring him into direct contact with Ephron Mason-Clark on Sunday. 

The Coventry winger has drawn 3 fouls across his two Premier League appearances this season, including 1 away at Manchester City last weekend, strengthening the case for Gomez to fall foul of the referee at least twice.

PSV have seen BTTS land in each of their last six matches while avoiding defeat in all of them, winning four.

Most recently, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Shakhtar in the Champions League, but this is a good chance to get back to winning ways against a Sparta side that have only managed one win in their five Eredivisie matches so far this term.

Sparta have scored nine goals across those games, so they can carry an attacking threat against the reigning champions. 

BTTS landed in this fixture last season with PSV coming away 6-1 winners, and both sides have managed to get on the scoresheet in four of the last five head-to-head clashes.

United have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their three Premier League matches so far, seeing BTTS in two of these games against Everton and Ipswich.

They’ve avoided defeat in each of the last two meetings between the sides at Old Trafford, coming away 2-0 winners when they last welcomed City. 

Carrick’s side have plenty of talent in forward areas to contribute to the goal count here, netting 39 goals at home last season with only three of their 19 games ending level. 

Manchester City have seen BTTS & No Draw in two of their three Premier League matches so far. It’s Enzo Maresca’s first experience of the derby, so he may be a bit underprepared for what to expect and United are the perfect side to play in transition against Maresca’s urge to dominate the ball. 

Both of these sides have made pretty poor starts to the campaign with both only managing one win so far this term. 

Servette have only drawn one of their opening six matches, losing four of these games - but should feel encouraged against a Lausanne side that they beat 2-0 back in May.

Lausanne have picked up a few more points than Servette but struggled on the whole - notably seeing BTTS & No Draw in two of their last three matches.

This fixture produced six goals last season as the sides played out a 3-3 draw. I think both will see it as an opportunity to kickstart their campaigns, with neither backline looking particularly solid in the early stages of the campaign. 

There is a remarkable trend in the head to head records between these sides - they have not drawn in 20 meetings.

The most recent clash saw BTTS & No Draw as Viking came away 2-1 winners over Kristiansund with an xG of 1.15 to their opponents’ 0.90. 

BTTS & No Draw has landed in three of the last five head to head meetings and both sides have plenty to fight for here with Viking in a title race with Bodo Glimt while Kristiansund are looking to avoid the drop

Viking have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches across all competitions, with only one of these games ending in a draw. 

They also contested their first ever game in the Champions League during the week, so there is every chance that they are a little fatigued as they are not used to such an intense schedule. 

Brighton have long been one of the Premier League’s most entertaining teams, and that trend has continued during the early stages of the new season. 

Over 2.5 goals therefore looks worth backing when Fabian Hurzeler’s side travel to Coventry on Sunday. 

Two of the Seagulls’ opening three league games have cleared this line, including a thrilling 4-3 defeat at Chelsea on their only road trip so far. 

Notably, Brighton have scored at least 3 goals in two of their three Premier League matches this season, as well as in their Europa Conference League play-off victory at home to Tromso. 

Coventry are still searching for their first points and goal of the Premier League season, although there were encouraging attacking signs when they registered 12 shots and an xG of 1.37 at Manchester City last weekend. 

While the Sky Blues also drew a blank at home to Hull, Brighton’s front-foot approach should make for a more open contest here and increase the chances of this game breaking the over 2.5 goal barrier.

Brighton games are always worth a look in the cards market, with over 3.5 appealing for Sunday’s clash with Coventry. 

Fabian Hurzeler’s side were the most ill-disciplined team in the Premier League last season, with their aggressive press often leading to fouls and cards. 

That pattern has continued this term, as each of Brighton’s opening 3 league matches has produced at least 4 cards. 

Two of those contests delivered 6 bookings, while a red was also shown in one of them. 

Further encouragement comes from Coventry’s opening Premier League home game, with 5 cards handed out during their 1-0 defeat to Hull.

Tony Harrington may not be among the division’s most card-happy referees, but his historical Premier League average stands at just under 4 yellows per game, while he dished out exactly 4 bookings in his only top-flight assignment this season.

My next selection focuses on Lewis Dunk’s likely centre-half partner Luka Vuskovic, who looks worth backing to be fouled at least once during this contest.

The highly rated youngster has made an impressive start to life with the Seagulls, with his ability to earn free kicks proving particularly eye-catching. 

Vuskovic drew multiple fouls against Leeds last weekend, while he was brought down twice in each leg of Brighton’s Europa Conference League play-off tie with Tromso. 

That is nothing new, as he averaged a sizeable 1.18 fouls drawn per game in the Bundesliga last season. 

Vuskovic’s likely tussles with Taiwo Awoniyi also increase his chances of being fouled, with the Sky Blues striker penalised in each of his last two Premier League appearances. 

The Brighton defender’s ability to carry the ball into midfield areas could also lead to him being brought down.

Lewis Dunk looks worth backing to collect a card when Brighton face Coventry on Sunday. 

The long-serving Seagulls captain may be beginning to show signs of decline, with his foul numbers increasing during the early stages of the season. 

Indeed, Dunk has committed 4 fouls across his opening three Premier League outings, including 2 against Aston Villa on the opening weekend. 

He was also penalised in 4 of his final seven top-flight outings last term, including each of the last two. 

Dunk could find himself involved in a real physical battle with Taiwo Awoniyi on Sunday. 

The Coventry striker was fouled in away matches against both Arsenal and Manchester City, adding weight to this selection.

Real Sociedad look well placed to make life difficult for Atletico Madrid on Sunday night, making the hosts an attractive option on the double chance. 

There was little shame in opening the season with defeats to Real Betis and Real Madrid, but Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men have responded by collecting seven points from matches against Espanyol, Celta Vigo and Elche. 

Real Sociedad have also proven tough to beat at the Anoeta Stadium under Matarazzo, avoiding defeat in 11 of their 13 home league games since his appointment last December.

Freshness could also work in Real Sociedad’s favour, with Atletico Madrid involved in a demanding Champions League game at Anfield on Wednesday night, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool.

That latest setback means Diego Simeone’s side have won just one of their last four matches in all competitions, which hardly bodes well ahead of Sunday night’s trip to the Basque Country.

While Real Sociedad look worth backing to avoid defeat on Sunday night, I’m less convinced by their chances of keeping a clean sheet against Atletico Madrid.

Matarazzo’s men have provided plenty of entertainment this season, with both teams scoring in three of their opening five La Liga matches, including last weekend’s thrilling 3-2 victory at Elche.

Moreover, both teams to score has been a regular feature at the Anoeta Stadium under Matarazzo, landing in 11 of Real Sociedad's 13 La Liga home games since his arrival last season. 

As for Atletico Madrid, they are no longer the defensive force they once were under Diego Simeone, with both teams scoring in three of their last four matches across all competitions.

So, all things considered, backing both teams to score looks the way to go at the Anoeta Stadium.

Back Julian Alvarez to register at least one shot on target against Real Sociedad on Sunday night. 

The Argentine returned to Atletico Madrid’s starting XI at Anfield on Wednesday and made his mark by providing an assist, while all 3 of his shots tested the Liverpool goalkeeper.

Alvarez also hit the target during a half-hour appearance from the bench against Athletic Bilbao last weekend, further suggesting he may have put the speculation surrounding his future to one side for the time being.

That was a familiar theme last season, with Alvarez averaging 1.23 shots on target per game in La Liga

With the transfer window now closed, the former Manchester City forward should be handed a regular run in the side again.

That should help Alvarez rediscover his rhythm, and he can register at least one shot on target against a Real Sociedad side that has conceded in four of their five La Liga matches this season.

Given Jon Aramburu’s eye-watering foul numbers this season, it is hard to look past the Real Sociedad right-back to commit at least two fouls against Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.

Aramburu has already overstepped the mark a whopping 22 times in La Liga this term, committing at least 2 fouls in each of his five appearances.

He has also picked up 3 yellow cards, the most recent of which came against Elche last weekend.

The 24-year-old averaged 2.24 fouls per game in the Spanish top flight last term, showing that his tendency to get on the wrong side of referees is nothing new.

A fiery encounter with Atletico should play into the hands of this selection, particularly with Aramburu likely to come up against Ademola Lookman.

The Atleti attacker has been fouled 5 times across his four La Liga appearances this term and should give Aramburu plenty to think about on Sunday night.

Benn has not boxed at welterweight since April 2022, which also happened to be the last occasion on which the Briton scored a knockout win, but still ‘The Destroyer’ has been controversially installed as the mandatory challenger for Garcia’s WBC belt.

However, in a 150lb catchweight clash against Regis Prograis earlier this year, following two appearances at middleweight (160lb), the weight looked to have severely impacted Benn. Here, the polarising 29-year-old must lose a further three pounds, that being as big an obstacle to world honours as the world-renowned champion in the opposing corner.

Meanwhile, ‘King Ry’ has been inconsistent throughout his career, but the Californian at his best is far superior technically to Benn at his best - and it’s very unlikely that Benn will be anywhere near his optimum, considering he has already admitted that this will be his last ever fight at 147lbs following a brutal weight cut.

Garcia was in form when winning the title against Mario Barrios in February and when the champion is more natural at the weight, better schooled, with the superior footwork and speed, it is hard to go any other way than a stoppage win.

The warning signs are there and it seems as though Benn’s physical troubles and inferior skillset will leave him susceptible to a first knockout defeat, - despite his admirable mental fortitude - which could make him hard to put away.

I see Benn being dropped on at least a couple of occasions, winning browning points for his willingness to fight on, before the body shots take their toll and force a stoppage win for the American.

I’m expecting a good game here. Both sides have shown some defensive frailties, United especially, but there’s no doubts about the attacking quality that both possess.

Both sides have seen over 2.5 goals in two out of three games so far, with BTTS also landing in two out of three for both.

If we flick back to last season, United were statistically the most entertaining side to watch in the league with games averaging 3.13 goals and 63% of their games seeing over 2.5 goals, rising to 3.32 at home.

City also saw 63% of their games land this selection, with matches averaging 2.97 goals.

Lille have enjoyed a decent start to the season domestically, avoiding defeat in each of their opening three matches and winning two of these games.

They’ve scored five goals across these matches, only conceding twice, and take on a newly promoted Troyes side who are coming off the back of a bruising 6-2 defeat against Strasbourg, which exposed the struggles that Troyes may have against the top sides in Ligue 1.

Lille finished third in Ligue 1 last season, offering the closest challenge to the title race that developed between Lens and PSG. They only lost four of their 17 home matches, notably keeping these games quite tight with only 17 goals conceded across these matches.

Across his two reigns as the IBF cruiserweight world champion, Jai Opetaia made five defences of the belt and won all of those fights via knockout.

However, in my opinion, none of those opponents were truly world-level.

Last time out, on his Zuffa Boxing debut, Opetaia decisioned Brandon Glanton to claim the ‘Zuffa Cruiserweight Title’ but in reigning WBC cruiserweight world champion, Noel Mikaelian, I believe Opetaia is taking on the second-hardest opponent of his career, behind only Mairis Briedis.

A long-awaited shot at David Benavidez may hang in the balance, and Mikaelian has never been stopped despite three defeats against elite operators.

Therefore, I believe there is good value backing the Aussie to play it safe and win on the cards here, with the Armenian’s chin also being tried and tested over the years.

Mark Magsayo is somebody that I have always been a fan of; he has intelligent combinations and smart feet, well-schooled as a four-time national amateur champion in the Philippines.

The former WBC featherweight world champion is now looking to mount a charge towards the lightweight world title, and he impressed on his return to 135lbs last time out, as he knocked out Feargal McCrory.

Meanwhile, Andres Cortes is undefeated and scored a win over Eridson Garcia earlier this year, which has aged like a fine wine.

Although Cortes has had a few close calls in his career thus far, I believe that Magsayo will be the one to go a step further and end the Las Vegas native’s 25-fight unbeaten streak, with his boxing IQ being the difference maker.

Alexis Rocha is continuing his comeback trail after a knockout defeat to Giovani Santillan derailed his planned world title bid.

Former unified super-lightweight world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez looks to be a well-selected dance partner here, looking flat-footed when comprehensively outboxed by Devin Haney 16 months ago.

Admittedly, Haney is a level above Rocha, but it’s hard to envisage 34-year-old Ramirez being able to roll back the years and score a first win since April 2024 against a more-than-capable Rocha.

Sporting have started the season in great form, winning four of their opening five matches domestically and getting off to a winning start in the Champions League with a 3-1 win over Galatasaray during the week.

Sporting have scored 14 goals across their opening five matches in Liga Portugal, with the division setting up to once again be a three horse race for the title between Sporting, Benfica and Porto. They put four goals past Nacional in their most recent away match, winning to nil.

Familicao are yet to win a game in Liga Portugal this term, losing three of their five matches. They’ve only scored four goals across these games too, with only four sides in the division netting fewer goals than the home side here.

Sporting also hold the advantage when it comes to the head to head record between the sides, winning each of the last 10 head to head meetings - most recently emerging as 1-0 winners back in February. 

PSG kicked off their Champions League campaign with a dominant 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava during the week, and now will look to secure their first league win of the season having failed to win any of their opening three matches.

This may look alarming on paper, but PSG made a similar start last season before picking up when the Champions League kicked off. They take on a Brest side that have only managed to win one of their opening three games in Ligue 1, which was actually their first win in 17 matches.

Brest should offer the ideal opportunity for PSG to pick up their first domestic points of the campaign. PSG won both league meetings between the sides last season to nil, and have won each of the last seven head to head meetings more widely. 

Lens won their opening game of the Champions League campaign in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 victory over Slavia Prague on the road last week - scoring twice within the final few minutes to secure the three points.

They’ll be hoping to take some of that momentum into their domestic performances which have been a mixed bag so far - winning one of their three matches, but that doesn’t quite tell the full story with Lens only losing the other two games against Lorient and Strasbourg by one goal margins.

Lens won the xG battle against Strasbourg in defeat (2.91-1.83) and matched Lorient for their other loss - so it’s fair to say that they’ve been a little unlucky in the French top flight so far.

Le Mans are a newly promoted side and have found it difficult in the early stages of the campaign, failing to win any of their opening three matches. They’ve conceded six goals across these matches (2.0 per game), highlighting a defensive vulnerability that Lens can exploit.

Feyenoord rotated their side for their Champions League clash against Barcelona during the week, suffering a 5-1 defeat as a result.

It may appear a bit strange to some to rotate for a clash against Barcelona, but it does allow the Dutch side to remain fresh for this game. 

They’ve avoided defeat in the Eredivisie so far, winning three of their five matches, and now face off against a Zwolle side who have only managed to win one of their five games in the Dutch top flight this term.

Feyenoord hold the advantage in the head to head record as well, winning each of the last 14 head to head meetings between the sides - most recently coming away 2-0 winners over Zwolle in this fixture last season.

Hamburg have had to endure a very rough start to the season in the Bundesliga, losing both of their opening two games of the campaign without even scoring a goal.

They’ve shipped seven goals across these games as well, which doesn’t make for good reading ahead of a trip to take on Leipzig who have a very exciting frontline of Nusa, Nkunku and Bakayoko. 

Leipzig only lost three of their 17 home matches in the Bundesliga last season, notably scoring 40 goals across these games (2.35 per game). Only Bayern Munich (68) scored more goals at home in the Bundesliga than Leipzig last season.

This firepower should ultimately prove to be too much for Hamburg who suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Mainz at home last time out and look to have deep rooted issues which won’t be solved in time for this encounter.

Lille have enjoyed a decent start to the season domestically, avoiding defeat in each of their opening three matches and winning two of these games.

They’ve scored five goals across these matches, only conceding twice, and take on a newly promoted Troyes side who are coming off the back of a bruising 6-2 defeat against Strasbourg, which exposed the struggles that Troyes may have against the top sides in Ligue 1.

Lille finished third in Ligue 1 last season, offering the closest challenge to the title race that developed between Lens and PSG. They only lost four of their 17 home matches, notably keeping these games quite tight with only 17 goals conceded across these matches.

Both teams to score looks worth supporting when Sassuolo welcome Juventus to Mapei Stadium on Sunday night.

Sassuolo have collected four points from their opening three Serie A matches, with all three fixtures producing goals at both ends.

That sequence continued last weekend as the Black and Greens played out an action-packed 2-2 draw away at Bologna.

They were also involved in a 1-1 draw at home to Frosinone in the Coppa Italia recently.

Juventus’ games have been less eventful, although the Old Lady arrive on the back of a 1-1 draw with AC Milan last weekend.

These sides also played out a 1-1 draw when they last met towards the end of last season, adding further weight to the case for each team to oblige.

Backing over 2.5 cards appeals when Sassuolo and Juventus face off in what I think will be a closely fought contest on Sunday night. 

The early-season evidence is based on a limited sample, but matches involving these sides have already produced plenty of bookings, particularly those featuring Juventus.

Each of the Turin giants’ opening three Serie A fixtures has cleared this line, returning respective card counts of 4, 5 and 4.

As for Sassuolo, each of their last two league games has produced exactly 4 cards, as did their 1-1 draw with Frosinone in the Coppa Italia. 

It is also worth noting that referee Juan Luca Sacchi showed exactly 4 cards in his only Serie A assignment of the season so far. 

That figure is consistent with his long-term numbers in the Italian top flight, where he has averaged 3.77 yellow cards across 78 matches.

Francisco Conceicao looks worth backing to register at least one shot on target when Juventus face Sassuolo.

The Portuguese forward is very much a shoot-on-sight merchant, firing off 9 attempts across his side’s opening three Serie A matches of the season.

Of those efforts, 3 came against AC Milan last weekend, with Conceicao hitting the target twice.

He also worked the opposition goalkeeper in Juventus’ previous away game at Frosinone.

His numbers from last season also make for encouraging reading, with Conceicao averaging 0.98 shots on target per game in Serie A.

Sassuolo have conceded an average of 15.00 shots per game and are yet to keep a clean sheet across their opening three league matches, so Conceicao should get ample opportunity to deliver another on-target effort.

I’m siding with Nemanja Matic to commit at least one foul when Sassuolo take on Juventus on Sunday night.

The experienced Serbian will sit at the base of the Sassuolo midfield, leaving him with plenty of defensive ground to cover against one of Serie A’s strongest sides.

Matic has committed 3 fouls across his last two Serie A appearances, including 2 in Sassuolo’s opening home game against Torino, where he was also shown a yellow card. 

It’s also worth noting that Matic collected 8 yellow cards and averaged 0.81 fouls per game in Serie A last season.

His likely battle with Douglas Luiz offers further encouragement, with the Juventus midfielder ranking among his side’s most fouled players this term, having already won 6 free-kicks.

Calvert-Lewin has already scored two goals for Leeds this season, most recently netting against Chelsea in the EFL Cup during the week. 

He scored 14 goals across 30 starts in the Premier League last season, taking 74 shots across these games (2.44 per 90). 

The way that Leeds set up really suits him, the wingbacks always look to pick him out and he’s such a threat in the air with three of his goals coming from headers last year.

Calvert-Lewin scored against Newcastle when the sides last met, with that goal coming from the penalty spot which is a duty that can aid the striker when it comes to finding the target.

Wissa looks like he’s back to the player that we saw at Brentford having really impressed in Newcastle’s opening three Premier League matches, registering two goal contributions and taking six shots across these games (2.07 per 90).

He has shown promise with working alongside Will Osula, who unfortunately has picked up an injury, but can strike up a similar partnership with Fernandez-Pardo who has looked impressive in the brief spells of action we’ve seen from the Belgian.

Wissa came off the bench to have two efforts when these sides last met. His confidence and form at the start of the season should see him have a few chances in front of goal again, with Newcastle looking quite bright in forward areas under Mathias Jassile so far.

Calvert-Lewin is really good at holding up the ball, it’s one of the main reasons as to why he’s such an effective striker when he manages to stay fit but it does lead to him contesting a high number of duels in every game.

Calvert-Lewin has committed seven fouls across his three starts already in the Premier League, working out to an average of 2.49 fouls committed per 90. He’ll be in quite a physical battle here against Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman, who won’t shy away from the challenge of managing the forward.

Calvert-Lewin committed four fouls when these sides last met, also picking up a yellow card on that occasion.

Anton Stach is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League and is at a good price to win a foul here having already drawn seven fouls across his opening three games of the campaign (2.33 per 90).

Stach won 24 fouls across his 28 starts in the Premier League last season (0.91 per 90), so this increase we’ve seen may just be a slight anomaly given the small sample size -  but Stach has been playing slightly higher up this season, which is what I think has contributed to this rise.

Stach will be pitted directly up against Nico Gonzalez in this more advanced role, who has committed eight fouls across just two starts for Newcastle in the Premier League this season (4.86 per 90). 

I like what I've seen from both sides in the early stages of the season with both yet to face defeat and having the same record from their opening three games.

Leeds have seen BTTS in each of their last three matches, with their most recent assignment producing nine goals as they fell to a 6-3 defeat at Chelsea. 

What was notable about that game was how willing Farke’s side were to take risks and send men forward, perhaps indicating a slight shift in the mentality of this Leeds side having avoided the drop last year.

Newcastle also look like they’ll be a really entertaing watch under Mathias Jassile, who has impressed with his demeanour and passion since arriving. They’ve seen BTTS in three of their last five matches, and have seen two 2-2 draws in the Premier League already.

Lopez struggled in the Premier League last season, in what was a bit of a baptism of fire for the young Spaniard but he’s been brilliant so far in the Championship.

He’s netted three and assisted two in his five league appearances. He has blanked for a shot on target in two of those but his average sits at 1.20 per 90 minutes thanks to having two shots on target in each of the other three.

His shot volume has been decent too, attempting 2.90 per 90 minutes. I love that he’s not afraid to strike from range either and he’s a candidate for direct free-kicks.

Lopez is right on the money numbers wise for this selection, having drawn an average of 2.00 fouls per 90 minutes.

He’s been fouled seven times in his last three, including drawing four in the last match against Birmingham.

Sheff Utd’s midfield aren’t shy of a foul either. Sydie Peck is a staple in the middle of the park and usually plays 90, he’s averaged 1.40 fouls so far this campaign.

He’ll likely be alongside Joe Rothwell. A player I don’t rate massively. Rothwell is slow and laborious, he’ll struggle against Lopez. Rothwell has made a few fouls this season, working out to 0.71 on average per 90 minutes.

Another player who’s started well is Muntesi, who anchors the Wolves midfield with Andre and is tasked with being aggressive and winning the ball back.

Since Munesti broke into first-team football in 2019, he’s averaged above 1.06 fouls per 90 minutes every season.

He committed 1.96 per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season as Wolves were relegated and he’s started this campaign off with an average of 2.00 per 90 minutes.

He’s made at least one foul in every Championship match so far this season.

If you want entertainment, Wolves have been the best team to watch in the Championship so far this season.

Their matches have averaged a huge 4.60 goals. We only need two goals here and we’ve got some safety in the numbers, given that every Wolves game so far has had at least four match goals.

They are excellent in attack with Lopez, Gomes, Jimenez and Armstrong, as well as the likes of Matheus Mane.

However, they’ve been shaky in defence, shipping 10 already>

Sheff Utd games have averaged 2.67 goals and four of their six have seen two or more scored.

Barcelona have had a flawless start to the La Liga season, winning every game and doing so convincingly.

Across all competitions, they have scored five goals in four of their five games, with the only exception being a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao.

Levante, on the other hand, have won just once this season and have failed to score in three of their opening four games.

The numbers between the two sides are also night and day. Barcelona are averaging nine shots on target per match compared to Levante's 3.5, as well as a 15.7 XG compared to just 5.2.

This should be a total mismatch. Levante haven't beaten Barcelona since 2019, and I don't expect that to change here.

Bayern face a trip to newly promoted Elversberg, who are actually unbeaten in the league this season, picking up two wins from their opening two games.

However, they have conceded five goals across those two matches, so there are certainly weaknesses for Bayern to exploit.

Bayern could be one of the worst teams in Europe to play against if you have a leaky defence. They have the highest XG in the whole league with 6, have created the most big chances with 12, and have only conceded one goal themselves.

They've just come off the back of a dominant 5-0 win against Bodo/Glimt, and I don't see them slowing down here.

Although this could be a tougher fixture than people imagine, Bayern should have far too much quality and I expect them to get the job done.

Brighton have been one of the best attacking teams in the league this season, currently sitting top for goals per match at 2.7, as well as big chances created with 15.

They have scored two or more goals in two of their three Premier League games so far. Last weekend they were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds, but still registered double the amount of shots, as well as a higher open-play XG of 1.54.

Coventry have had a trickier start to life in the top flight. They are yet to score a goal and have conceded in every game, while allowing their opponents 15+ shots in two of their three opening matches. The only exception was against fellow new boys Hull, who don’t pose the same threat as Brighton.

Holding Man City to a 1-0 defeat shocked a lot of people, but City's XG of 2.12 suggests they should have scored more. I expect Brighton to have too much attacking quality for Coventry to keep them out here.

Hamburg have had to endure a very rough start to the season in the Bundesliga, losing both of their opening two games of the campaign without even scoring a goal.

They’ve shipped seven goals across these games as well, which doesn’t make for good reading ahead of a trip to take on Leipzig who have a very exciting frontline of Nusa, Nkunku and Bakayoko. 

Leipzig only lost three of their 17 home matches in the Bundesliga last season, notably scoring 40 goals across these games (2.35 per game). Only Bayern Munich (68) scored more goals at home in the Bundesliga than Leipzig last season.

This firepower should ultimately prove to be too much for Hamburg who suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Mainz at home last time out and look to have deep rooted issues which won’t be solved in time for this encounter.

Coventry are still without a Premier League point, and they haven’t even scored a goal yet, but there were some encouraging signs during their defeat at Man City last weekend. Jack Rudoni came close to scoring, as he had one effort which was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Rudoni scored seven Championship goals last season, and he was one of their most influential players in the final third. On paper this is a tough matchup against Brighton, but Coventry won 17 of their 23 home matches in the Championship last season, with 51 goals scored. They tend to play with a lot more attacking intent, so Rudoni should be involved.

Charalampos Kostoulas has been spearheading the Brighton attack in recent weeks and looks a strong candidate to find the target against Coventry.

The Greek youngster has already produced 6 attempts across his three Premier League appearances this season, including 3 efforts in last week’s 1-1 draw with Leeds. 

He managed 2 shots after coming off the bench against Aston Villa on the opening weekend, underlining his eagerness to pull the trigger. 

Kostoulas was even more active across Brighton’s Europa Conference League play-off tie with Tromso, racking up 10 attempts over both legs. 

With bottom-of-the-table Coventry losing the shot count in 2 of their opening 3 league matches of the season, the Brighton striker should have ample opportunity to register an effort on target.

Bryan Mbeumo has started the season in strong form. He opened his account for the season against Ipswich in gameweek two, before adding another to his tally against Everton last weekend. Mbeumo also landed this selection against Sabah midweek in the Champions League. 

Mbeumo should be looking forward to this fixture, as he has typically found success in the final third. He scored the opening goal when Man United beat City 2-0 at Old Trafford in January, helping Michael Carrick make an immediate impact after returning to the dugout. Mbeumo had three shots in that game, with one on target. In the head-to-head meeting before that, Mbeumo had four shots with one on target.

Rayan Cherki has started the campaign confidently under Enzo Maresca, and this is the perfect fixture for him to make an impact. He has played a key role as Man City have won all four matches across all competitions this campaign, recording four goals involvements across those. 

Cherki has been operating centrally, and he has been able to pick up some promising positions. The Frenchman averaged 2.77 shots per 90 in the Premier League last season despite starting only 19 matches. He is now playing more regularly, and with Man United likely to be fixated on Haaland, Cherki could find some space. 

Erling Haaland comes into this Manchester Derby at Old Trafford after scoring both goals in Man City’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Porto midweek. He will hope to keep this scoring record up, but the Man United defenders won’t make life easy for him, and they will do their best to frustrate the Norwegian international. 

Haaland has typically seen an uptick in fouls when playing against Man United, and fouls are usually one to target in a rivalry of this magnitude. The striker isn’t one to back down from a physical duel, and he will be up against Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire.

Ephron Mason-Clark is one of Coventry’s main outlets going forward, and he should find duels directly up against Gross. He is direct in his approach, always looking to beat his marker, which naturally makes this market one to target. 

The Seagulls are an intense pressing unit, and they have recorded at least 12 fouls in all five matches this season across all competitions. That includes 12 fouls against Aston Villa in gameweek one of the Premier League, despite running out 4-0 winners. They won by the same scoreline against Tromso in the Conference League, and still racked up 13 infringements.

Pascal Gross committed a foul and received a booking against Aston Villa in gameweek one, and he has landed this selection in all three starts this campaign.

That includes two fouls against Chelsea last time out. Last season, he averaged 1.04 infringements per 90 across all competitions, but that figure seems to be on the rise. Gross has been given a much greater responsibility, and Coventry have some tricky players to contain in midfield. 

Hurzeler likes his side to be aggressive, to press strongly and win the ball back as soon as possible. They are likely to have more of the ball than Coventry this weekend, but the hosts should be front-footed at home.

I think we’ll see Mainoo cement his position alongside Tielemans from now on after an excellent display against Everton.

Mainoo loves to get the ball on the half turn and break out of tight situations, which will be key against Maresca’s side.

He’s drawn an average of 1.90 fouls per 90 minutes so far this season. He’s drawn above 1.00 per game on average since breaking into the United side - 1.05, 1.17 and 1.19 season-by-season.

He only played 24 minutes against Hull but in his two following starts, he’s drawn two fouls in each and will be up against the tough tackling Elliot Anderson.