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Maxim De Cuyper is set to continue in a more advanced role here after lining up on the left wing as Brighton beat Aston Villa 4-0 at home to kickstart their campaign.

De Cuyper committed four fouls in that game. He’s usually a fullback, so he should be just as willing to get stuck into a challenge even though he’s playing a bit higher up the pitch.

De Cuyper also committed a foul in Brighton’s 4-0 win over Tromso during the week as they secured their spot in the Conference League. Brighton committed 12 fouls in the opening game of their campaign, and line up against a Chelsea side that drew 12 fouls from Fulham in their opening fixture.

This game has developed into a bit of a rivalry over recent seasons due to the level of transfer business between the two clubs. Brighton committed 15+ fouls in both head to head meetings between the sides last season.

De Cuyper committed 18 fouls across his 17 starts in the Premier League last season (1.15 per 90), showing a consistency to his game when it comes to committing fouls. 

He’ll be up against Cole Palmer at times here, who was fouled three times in Chelsea’s win over Fulham and averaged 1.69 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League last season.

Bodo Glimt recently secured their spot in the Champions League again, coming through the playoffs to appear in the competition for a second consecutive season after being so successful last year.

They’re enjoying a brilliant run of form which has seen them avoid defeat in 18 matches, winning 15 of these games. This is an important game for Bodo too, they’re only one point clear of Viking in second as they look to claim the Eliteserien title after losing out to the same opponents last season.

Rosenborg have a really poor away record in the Eliteserien this term, winning just two of their eight away games and only scoring seven goals across these matches. Bodo Glimt came away 4-0 winners when they last welcomed Rosenborg, registering an xG of 2.10 from 18 shots.

Monaco were the joint-best team in Ligue 1 last season for BTTS Yes winners, with 22 of their 34 games seeing the bet land.

Both sides got off to winning starts, with Marseille beating Strasbourg 4-0 and Monaco winning 1-0 at Le Havre.

Monaco scored in 15 of 17 league home games last season, and secured Conference League qualification on Thursday evening with a 4-1 win over Gornik Zabrze.

They conceded in 12 of 17 home league games last term, while Marseille only managed four shut-outs in their 17 away trips.

Both sides will be looking to steal an early march on PSG in the league (both are two points ahead at this early stage), which should see both go for the win on Sunday evening.

This tends to be quite an entertaining game, and has actually developed into a bit of a soft rivalry over recent seasons given the extensive transfer business between the two clubs.

Each of the last seven head to head meetings between the sides has seen 3+ goals, with the most recent clash seeing Brighton cover this line on their own in a 3-0 victory. They also covered this line on their own when they last visited Stamford Bridge, coming away 3-1 winners.

Both sides saw 3+ goals on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, with Brighton coming away 4-0 winners over Aston Villa and Chelsea beating Fulham 3-2 on the road. 

Como are developing into a really complete side under Cesc Fabregas, they finished fourth in Serie A last season which was enough to secure a spot in the Champions League this year.

They only finished five points behind Napoli in the Italian top flight, so there isn’t as much between these sides as the odds would suggest and I think it’s worth backing Como to score here at a pretty decent price for a single goal.

Only the two Milan sides picked up more points on the road than Como in Serie A last season. Cesc Fabregas’ side won 10 of their 19 matches on the road, notably scoring 30 goals in the process (1.57 per game). Only Inter (39) scored more goals on the road than Como in Serie A last season. 

This is the 2nd-highest rated game on my Goals Sheet for Both Teams to Score.

Sion are strong favourites for the game, and both sides saw BTTS land in the second leg of their qualifiers on Thursday.

Sion lost 5-3 at Ajax, losing 9-5 on aggregate in Conference League qualifying, while Lugano qualified for the competition, drawing 1-1 at Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Lugano have scored two or more goals in all three of their Swiss Super League games so far, scoring 11 across those, while Sion have done the same and netted eight across their trio.

BTTS has landed in the last three head-to-heads, all taking place since November last year.

Luton have been bonkers so far this season, coming from 3-1 down at half time to beat Reading 4-3 in their league opener before drawing 2-2 with Notts County at home.

Their defending has been very, very questionable, and they have their excellent attacking players for the level to thank for their tally of four points from the two games.

Mansfield have also seen BTTS land in their first two league games, beating Doncaster 2-1 before losing away to Peterborough by the same scoreline.

Mansfield scored twice in both meetings with Luton last season, winning 2-0 on the road and drawing 2-2 at home.

Luton come in as favourites but have a preparation disadvantage as they lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Wednesday, while Mansfield have had a clear week to get ready for them.

This is the highest rated game for Both Teams to Score on Sunday, according to my Goals Sheet.

Vaduz have seen BTTS land in all four of their league games so far, despite losing all of them.

They’ve actually scored two or more goals in the last three of those games.

The bet has landed in six of their last seven games in all competitions.

Grasshopper have seen BTTS land in their opening three league outings, they’ve conceded by the 53rd minute in all of those.

Vaduz saw both teams score in 13 of their 18 home league games last term, and they’ve looked even more chaotic this season, pointing towards BTTS as a clear angle into this encounter.

Ajax have scored and conceded two or more goals in each of their last four games.

Scoring two or more themselves in 6/6 2026/27 outings.

That includes letting in two goals or more against Shelbourne (League of Ireland), Heerenveen (Eredivisie) and twice to Sion (Swiss Super League).

Telstar have seen both teams score in their opening two Eredivisie games, impressively beginning the campaign with a 2-1 win at NEC Nijmegen.

Posting encouraging xG totals of 1.66 and 1.42 in the process, the kind of chance creation that suggests they’ll breach what’s been a very open Ajax backline of late.

Tromso are heavy odds-on favourites for this game, but need to recover from the 4-0 thrashing they were on the end of at Brighton on Thursday night.

They have seen both teams score in each of their last three Eliteserien games.

Conceding once at HamKam (10th), twice at Aalesund (15th) and three times at Molde (4th).

9th-placed Sarpsborg have regularly been seeing this bet win recently.

It’s landed in their last three in the league as well, including in trips to Molde (3-3) and 2nd-placed Viking (2-1), so they should put themselves about against 3rd-placed Tromso, with the visitors having a significant preparation advantage after Tromso had just 22% of the ball at the Amex Stadium less than 72 hours before this game kicks off.

Monaco were the joint-best team in Ligue 1 last season for BTTS Yes winners, with 22 of their 34 games seeing the bet land.

Both sides got off to winning starts, with Marseille beating Strasbourg 4-0 and Monaco winning 1-0 at Le Havre.

Monaco scored in 15 of 17 league home games last season, and secured Conference League qualification on Thursday evening with a 4-1 win over Gornik Zabrze.

They conceded in 12 of 17 home league games last term, while Marseille only managed four shut-outs in their 17 away trips.

Both sides will be looking to steal an early march on PSG in the league (both are two points ahead at this early stage), which should see both go for the win on Sunday evening.

Joao Pedro scored the quickest goal on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, netting inside the first minute after being put through by Cole Palmer and finishing smartly. 

He’s been in brilliant form over the last few weeks for Chelsea, impressing with seven goals across five starts during pre-season. Joao Pedro has scored more goals than any other Chelsea player this calendar year, and should extend his strong run of form against his former club.

Joao Pedro had four shots in total during Chelsea’s win over Fulham. We can expect him to get regular service this season given that he has both Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer looking to find him. 

This is quite a generous price for Ayari to commit a foul, he was as short as 1.17 for a single foul at points last season and I would have him a bit shorter to commit a foul in this contest.

Ayari committed two fouls and was shown a yellow card in Brighton’s opening game of the season. He committed 24 fouls across his 20 starts in the Premier League last season (1.12 per 90) and will have a very difficult assignment against the trio of Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.

That trio won five fouls between them on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, and will cause Ayari problems in central areas with their movement and understanding.

Rogers enjoyed a really positive debut for Chelsea in the Premier League, creating five chances and getting on the scoresheet as Xabi Alonso’s side came away 3-2 winners at Craven Cottage.

He was fouled once in that game, it’s a strong part of his game given his size and ability to drive with the ball. Rogers won 49 fouls across his 37 starts in the Premier League last season (1.34 per 90), showing that this is a consistent part of his game.

He’ll be facing off against a Brighton side that committed 12 fouls on the opening weekend of the Premier League season with both Gross and Ayari committing at least one foul each and collecting yellow cards. 

This tends to be quite an entertaining game, and has actually developed into a bit of a soft rivalry over recent seasons given the extensive transfer business between the two clubs.

Each of the last seven head to head meetings between the sides has seen 3+ goals, with the most recent clash seeing Brighton cover this line on their own in a 3-0 victory. They also covered this line on their own when they last visited Stamford Bridge, coming away 3-1 winners.

Both sides saw 3+ goals on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, with Brighton coming away 4-0 winners over Aston Villa and Chelsea beating Fulham 3-2 on the road. 

Maxim De Cuyper has always been a very attacking fullback, and Hurzeler deployed him as a left winger in Brighton’s dominant win over Aston Villa last time out - a role that saw De Cuyper have more shots than any other player (4) and score.

De Cuyper also played in this advanced position in Brighton’s win over Tromso during the week to secure their spot in the Conference League this year. He scored and assisted in that game, giving him real momentum ahead of this game. He’s expected to continue in this advanced role, and could be a real asset for Brighton against Chelsea’s 3-4-3 shape.

De Cuyper scored two goals across his 17 starts in the Premier League last season, mainly playing as a left back. He took 13 shots across these games (0.83 per 90) and his move to a more advanced role should only see those shot numbers increase.

Monaco bagged 33 home goals last term (1.94 per game), with only three clubs - Marseille among them - netting more in front of their own supporters. Marseille’s away games averaged 2.74 goals per match last season, and they drew just one of those outings.

Over 70% of Monaco’s Ligue 1 matches last season featured both teams scoring, and their most recent head-to-head against Marseille followed suit - a 2-1 Monaco win, with both posting solid xG numbers (1.58–2.23).

Neither side faced much resistance in their opening fixtures: Monaco edged Le Havre 1-0, while Marseille cruised past Strasbourg 4-0. This clash promises to be far stiffer, especially with early Champions League qualification points on the line.

Telstar were a really good team to back in this market last season, they finished just five points above the drop zone but showed significant scoring power - especially in front of their own fans.

Telstar scored 31 goals across their 17 home games in the Eredivisie last season (1.82 per game), but only managed to win five of these games. Only a handful of sides scored more goals at home than Telstar in the Eredivisie last season, showing that they have the scoring power to trouble Ajax.

Telstar have seen BTTS & No Draw in four of their last five matches. Ajax have seen BTTS & No Draw in each of their last two games, seeing BTTS in each of their last four matches. This selection landed in this fixture last season too, with Ajax coming away 3-2 winners over Telstar.

Vaduz have really struggled in the early weeks of the season as a newly promoted side, losing all four of their matches in the Swiss Super League.

Vaduz have managed to score in all of these games, netting seven goals overall, but the 12 goals they’ve conceded is more than any other side in the division.

Grasshopper have also had quite a testing start to the campaign, losing two of their three matches. They’ve seen BTTS in all three of these matches, with two of these games seeing BTTS & No Draw. 

This fixture has become a surprisingly entertaining watch in recent years, even developing into a low-key rivalry thanks to the steady flow of player moves between the two clubs.

All seven of their last head-to-head meetings have produced three or more goals, and Brighton actually cleared that total on their own in the most recent matchup with a 3-0 win. They also did the same on their last trip to Stamford Bridge, walking away as 3-1 winners.

On opening weekend, both teams were involved in high-scoring affairs - Brighton hammered Aston Villa 4-0, while Chelsea edged Fulham 3-2 on the road. That trend points toward goals at both ends, but a draw looks unlikely to be part of the equation.

Both of these sides have made strong starts to the season, with Lugano winning all three of their matches and Sion winning two of their three games - neither side have drawn a game domestically so far this season.

Each of the last three head to head meetings between the sides has seen BTTS, with one of these games seeing BTTS & No Draw. Sion have seen BTTS & No Draw in each of their last five matches across all competitions, most recently falling to a 5-3 defeat against Ajax as they attempted to qualify for the Conference League.

Lugano have seen BTTS in each of their last four matches, seeing BTTS & No Draw in two of these games. They’ve scored 11 goals across their three league games so far this season, only Young Boys (16) have scored more goals in the Swiss Super League this term. 

Masked Warrior has a lifetime Top 3 Hit Rate of 66% across six starts, and 100% on today's ground conditions.

Masked Warrior will undoubtedly have appreciated the barrage of rain we've had, and in turn he's got his preferred conditions with the ground being declared Soft today. Masked Warrior is clearly an animal who appreciates a bit of juice in the ground and up against un-tested rivals on today's conditions 8/1 starts to look a very appealing price for the William Haggas trained runner.

There are a number of conditions lining up favourably here for Masked Warrior, dropping in Class from his career best, dropping 1lb from last run, favourable ground conditions and Cieren Fallon on board. William Haggas is the strongest trainer of this field, especially at Goodwood where he strikes at 19%, as does Cieren Fallon.

Masked Warrior looks well placed to run a career best effort here at Goodwood and 8/1 is a big enough price to forgive last run because of the ground conditions.

Light of Dawn has a lifetime Top 3 Hit Rate of 100% across three starts.

Light of Dawn failed to meet market expectations when 3rd in a Group 3 contest at Deauville but it was by no means a disgraceful run. However, the key form to focus on is the Albany Stakes at Ascot, where Light of Dawn was a close third behind Sun Goddess and Libertango, two of Europe's highest rated juveniles.

Light of Dawn is stepped up to 7f for the first time and hopefully Clifford Lee will be able to ensure she settles which has been a running issue and perhaps held her back from landing black type races. Her strong early speed is likely to aid Clifford Lee in overcoming the weak draw of stall 10 and allow her to sit off the pace in the midfield.

Karl Burke and Clifford Lee are striking at a 16% rate and this promising filly looks a big price at 6/1 to hit the frame in a weak Group 3 contest.

Wondrous Light has a lifetime Top 4 Hit Rate of 69%, and 75% over today's distance.

Wondrous Light has been in fantastic form as of late, winning two of her last four and placing in all four efforts. She rallied under Rob Hornby off a career-high mark to finish 4th, and her burden is eased slightly today. The pace was far from ideal for her last time out, and she was ultimately slightly caught out. Today looks better suited to her as a closer, with five runners expected to be prominent and Highland Olly and Panelli likely looking to make the running and press the pace here.

The ground also looks a positive for this filly, winning on Good To Soft at Beverley in April, which was her last visit to this circuit. Her preference for slower ground likely explains her short break, as she's been off the track since her effort on soft ground at Nottingham in June, coincidentally the same period when the UK has seen very dry weather.

There is a lot to like about Wondrous Light, and 6/1 looks a strong price for this filly to be in the mix here.

A Major Payne has a lifetime Top 3 Hit Rate of 71% across 21 starts, with a 100% Top 3 Hit Rate in eight starts over today's distance.

In the final race of the day at Goodwood, we are siding with A Major Payne under Oisin Murphy. The champion jockey has not yet given up his pursuit of Billy Loughnane in the defence of his crown, sitting 16 winners behind and riding in good form at the moment. Funnily enough, A Major Payne was beaten as a 10/3 favourite last time out under Billy and rolled out a 3 and a half length winner under Oisin in his penultimate start.

The speed data speaks strongly in favour of Major Payne, who leads the field in both top speed and average speed and boasts impressive finishing percentages, which will likely be needed, as this gelding lines up in stall 10, limiting his positioning to a run which will likely require a strong finishing kick to hit the frame.

A Major Payne has not finished out of the placings since September 2025, and he has never finished outside of the placings after being stepped up to 1m2f. The level of consistency is outrageous and hopefully he'll deliver on his promise today.

Brentford started strong against Tottenham - they looked like a well-drilled and organised unit, who were able to pick apart their London rivals. The Bees racked up 26 shots, with eight hitting the target, and Igor Thiago also struck the post from a penalty. Their 3-0 victory probably didn’t do the performance justice, especially considering they generated 3.87 xG. However, Spurs still created some opportunities at the other end, with Mikey Moore responsible for three of their four shots on target.

Brentford didn’t look particularly convincing defensively on their travels last season, conceding 31 times across 19 away league matches. Their defensive structure remains largely unchanged, so both teams should find chances this weekend, especially considering it finished 6-1 against Birmingham midweek in the EFL Cup.

Brentford’s Premier League matches averaged 10.16 corners last season, rising considerably to 11.32 when playing away. There were also exactly ten corners in their opening victory over Tottenham, with the Bees accounting for seven of those. 

Leeds saw only five corners in total against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but corners were a much more lucrative market to back at Elland Road last season. Daniel Farke’s side averaged 4.42 corners per game last term, rising to 5.58 on home turf. 

Both sides started their campaign with wins - they will be full of confidence, and there is no reason for either to sit back and be negative in their approach. We should get quite an open contest here, with chances available at both ends.

Leeds left it late to secure all three points against Nottingham Forest last weekend, and it was Anton Stach who produced the decisive goal from a direct free-kick. The German international landed this selection from set pieces alone, also sending an earlier free-kick narrowly over the target from a tight angle.

Stach has developed a reputation for being dangerous from dead-ball situations, so he generally takes responsibility whenever Leeds win a free-kick within shooting range. He scored three direct free-kicks last season, a tally bettered by only Dominik Szoboszlai in the Premier League. Stach also averaged 2.08 shots per 90 across the campaign, one of the highest figures in the Leeds squad, and he converted five of those efforts into goals.

Kristoffer Ajer partnered Nathan Collins at centre-back against Tottenham, with the pair earning a deserved clean sheet. Ajer was more willing than Collins to step out and contest duels, winning all six of his aerial battles and three out of five ground duels. He also completed two tackles and committed one foul last weekend.

The Norwegian international averaged 1.14 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season, and he committed at least one infringement in 18 of his 24 starts. His aggressive approach could be important against Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who should continue at centre-forward for Leeds. The former Everton striker is a physical presence, and he will be the primary target when Leeds look to play long.

Mamadou Sangare looked impressive on his competitive Brentford debut, announcing himself at the Gtech with an excellent assist for Keane Lewis-Potter’s opening goal. The 24-year-old was replaced in the 74th minute with the three points secure for Brentford, and he went off to a massive standing ovation from the home crowd. 

Sangare was fouled three times against Tottenham, proving difficult to contain whenever he carried possession through midfield. The Mali international likes to receive the ball under pressure and use his strength to move beyond opponents, and he had an average of 1.7 fouls drawn per 90 for Lens last season. Leeds committed 15 fouls against Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend, which shows how they can be quite an aggressive side, particularly in midfield areas.

Fernandes was probably the only United player who looked like causing Hull any problems last weekend, but still couldn’t stop his side falling to a 2-0 defeat against the newly promoted side.

Fernandes had three shots in that game as he attempted to get United into the contest, seeing one of these three efforts find the target. All three of these efforts came from outside the box, and we could see Fernandes forced into similar efforts here given that Ipswich will sit quite deep at times.

Fernandes took 85 shots across his 35 starts in the Premier League last season (2.50 per 90), seeing 24 of these efforts find the target (0.70 per 90). Fernandes is on penalties for United, and will also take free kicks within shooting range which gives him another avenue to find the target.

I was impressed with Emersonn’s performance in Ipswich’s opening game of the season as they beat Sunderland 2-1 at home to collect what could prove to be three crucial points come the end of the season.

Emersonn managed three shots in that game, seeing two of these efforts find the target. He looks suited to the Premier League with his size and speed, and will take encouragement from the issues that Oli McBurnie managed to cause in the United backline last week.

Emersonn scored six goals across 19 starts in Ligue 1 last season, taking 52 shots across these games (3.07 per 90) and seeing 19 of these efforts find the target (1.12 per 90). He also notably scored in back to back pre-season friendlies for Ipswich before the season started.

Tielemans and Santos received quite a lot of criticism for their performance in midfield against Hull last time out, but both were notably targeted by the opposition as an area of weakness in this United side.

Tielemans and Santos are both capable players at this level, but together they lack energy and legs in the middle of the park which allowed Hull to run all over United’s midfield last weekend. Santos was fouled twice, while Tielemans drew three fouls from the Tigers.

I expect Ipswich to target that area of the pitch in a similar way, giving Tielemans a great chance of being fouled again in this clash. Tielemans won 41 fouls across his 21 starts in the Premier League last season (1.98 per 90), so this is already a consistent part of his game that should come to the fore again.

Sasa Lukic is a smart signing by Ipswich, they’ve added a tenacious midfielder who has Premier League experience and he impressed on his debut, registering an assist as Ipswich won 2-1 against Sunderland at home.

Lukic committed one foul in that game, but that count will steadily rise as he plays more games for Gary O’Neil’s side given the foul record Lukic has had over the last few seasons for Fulham.

Lukic committed 53 fouls across just 20 starts in the Premier League last season (2.75 per 90) - which was one of the highest foul averages of any player in the division. This record resulted in Lukic collecting nine yellow cards, more than any other Fulham player last season. 

Gonzalo Garcia marked his Fulham debut with a goal against Chelsea, capitalising on another error from Robert Sanchez. The 22-year-old was brought to Craven Cottage by Arbeloa, who knows him well from their time together at Real Madrid, and he is expected to replace the attacking output from Raul Jimenez, after the Mexican international re-joined Wolves.

It wasn’t an easy debut for Garcia, but he looked sharp and remained involved throughout the match. He recorded three shots, including two blocked efforts during the first half, before heading home Fulham’s second goal after the break. Garcia was used as Kylian Mbappe’s understudy at Madrid last season, and he has been brought in by Arbeloa to play more regularly. It’s a massive opportunity for him to showcase his talent.

Brian Brobbey should be looking forward to facing this Fulham defence, based on how Joao Pedro performed last weekend, but the focus here is on his matchup against Calvin Bassey.

The Nigerian international is adept at buying soft free-kicks, and he tends to hit the deck under pressure. He was booked for simulation against Chelsea, but did manage to land this selection in the first-half, where he was chopped down by Romeo Lavia after going on a solo run. 

Last season, Bassey averaged 1.42 fouls drawn per 90 in the Premier League, which is impressively high for a centre-back. That figure increased to 1.71 when playing away, and he draws an excellent matchup here against Brobbey, who is a very physical and direct centre forward.

Josh King started in the advanced midfield position against Chelsea last weekend, and he was one of Fulham’s standout performers.

He opened his goal scoring account during the first half, albeit with considerable help from Robert Sanchez, and was a constant outlet for the hosts. His work rate was also commendable, with King regularly dropping deeper into midfield, which meant he finished the game with two fouls.The 19-year-old contested ten duels and completed two tackles during the defeat. 

King averaged 0.97 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season, and he will now be directly up against Sunderland midfielders Noah Sadiki and Granit Xhaka. Those two combined to draw 2.54 fouls per 90 last season, with Sadiki averaging 1.24 and Xhaka recording 1.30. Both are comfortable receiving possession under pressure in central areas.

Bernd Leno was called into action several times against Chelsea. The Blues aren’t short of talent going forward, but Fulham’s defence offered little protection for the German international, and Leno was able to land this selection. Considering he also conceded three goals, it shows how Fulham leaked chances. 

Sunderland were a difficult side to face at home last season, where they had an average of 12.05 shots per game. The crowd plays a big role, and they should be looking forward to this match, being the first home match of the campaign. Sunderland managed just two shots on target in this fixture last season, but given Fulham’s changes over the summer, the Black Cats should find more success this time round.

Fulham were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea in gameweek one, but there were positives for Arbeloa’s side, who found the back of the net twice. However, both of those goals came about as a result from mistakes from Robert Sanchez, and Fulham looked permeable at the back. The Cottagers conceded after just 31 seconds, while Chelsea were able to play through their midfield too easily.

BTTS also landed in Sunderland’s opening fixture, as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Ipswich. Regis Le Bris’ side weren’t at their best going forward, but they tend to play with more attacking intent at home. 

The previous meeting between these sides at the Stadium of Light finished 3-1 to Sunderland, which bodes well for this selection.

Palmer looked back to his best in Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Fulham last weekend, registering a goal and an assist as well as taking five shots - seeing two of these efforts find the target.

He had more shots than any other player in that game and looked to have a lot more freedom under Alonso to move around the pitch and position himself in areas where he thinks he can be effective.

Palmer followed up that display with eight shots in Chelsea’s win over Luton in the EFL Cup, seeing three of those efforts find the target. This new freedom he has under Alonso should see Palmer maintain a high shot volume throughout the campaign, and he’s really likely to find the target here. 

Diego Gomez is a really aggressive player and collected nine yellow cards in the Premier League last season, with only Lewis Dunk (10) picking up more cautions than the 23-year-old.

Gomez committed 48 fouls across his 26 starts in the Premier League last term (2.02 per 90), so he usually gives the referee a few opportunities to award him a caution and he’ll have a tough assignment here against a Chelsea side that drew 12 fouls from Fulham in their opening game.

Gomez was fortunate to avoid a caution in this game last season, committing two fouls as Brighton came away 3-1 winners at Stamford Bridge. They committed 16 fouls in that game, also picking up five yellow cards.

Jack Hinshelwood enjoyed a really strong start to the season, netting a brace against Aston Villa to help Brighton towards a 4-0 win over Unai Emery’s side.

Hinshelwood registered seven goal contributions across 20 starts in the Premier League last season, with four of these being goals. Most of these came in the second half of the campaign as well, with Hinshelwood being pushed on into a more advanced position.

Hinshelwood also scored against Chelsea when the sides last met, committing three fouls in that game too. He’s at risk of a card here as well given that Chelsea have so many bodies in that midfield area with their 3-4-3 system. 

Kinswoman looks like one to get excited about for the William Haggas yard; this filly was sent off favourite for the Epsom Dash back on Derby Day and ran creditably that day. She has since been involved in her share of top-quality handicaps, including a placed effort at Newbury and an 8th place in a Group 3 contest at York.

She has previously won off a mark of 83 and went down by a neck off 88 at this track in May; 86 looks more than fair given the company she has been matched up against this year.

Kinswoman dominates the metrics here, unsurprisingly, clocking the fastest last run, best recent and early speed figures, strongest finisher and most consistent. She's certainly the one to beat here, and with the flurry of Non Runners, she looks a strong bet for our double.

Campani is today's Racing Ratings NAP of the day with a rating of 8.4.

Campani is clearly a fan of Yarmouth, with all three of his last runs at the circuit, and all three delivering on his ability: placing 3rd twice and winning once over a mile, showing great promise throughout.

Campani enjoys sitting off the pace and will be held up, making the Stall 14 draw a non-factor, as a strong early pace will likely allow Campani to drift into cover without much trouble. Campani is the strongest finisher in this race, finishing at 114.8% of his own race average and hitting the line at the highest recorded speed of this field.

Daniel Muscutt is the man to guide our selection here, and a course A/E of 1.27 and a 14% strike rate this month suggest he has the tools to guide who we see as the most talented horse in this field home.

Chelsea v Brighton

Chelsea’s opening game against Fulham was arguably game of the weekend, producing five cards and five goals. Chelsea picked up two of those cards, while Fulham also made Sanchez work, forcing him into four saves. Brighton, on the other hand, were battered Villa 4-0, not allowing them a single shot on target. They did pick up two cards, though.

Both meetings between these sides last season saw each team pick up at least one card, and after the way both sides attacked last weekend, I’m expecting plenty of action at either end again.

Brighton won’t sit back and Chelsea's front three looks to be the real deal, so I can see both keepers being kept busy. Add in the cards too and I really like the look of this one.

Leeds v Brentford

Brentford enjoyed a very impressive display last weekend, putting three past Spurs in a 3-0 win that definitely surprised a few people.

Despite the scoreline, their keeper still had four saves to make, while Leeds also managed to force two saves from the Forest keeper in their opener, whilst making two saves themselves. So there's good reason to think that the keepers will be busy here.

Brentford did fail to pick up a card in either meeting with Leeds last season. However, they have received at least one card in each of their last five league games last season and picked one up again against Spurs.

This exact bet also landed in both teams’ opening games, with each side picking up a card and forcing their opponent into at least two saves.

Sunderland v Fulham

We saw this exact bet land in the first meeting between the two sides last season, which produced six cards and six saves.

Fulham’s opener against Chelsea was another good sign. They picked up two cards, Leno made three saves, and even though Chelsea looked dangerous, Fulham still managed to test Sanchez four times.

Sunderland had a more difficult opener against Ipswich, with the newly promoted side looking clinical. They scored twice from just three shots on target, meaning Sunderland’s keeper only made one save.

Fulham showed against Chelsea that they’re still a big threat going forward, even with the losses of Wilson and Jimenez, and I can see them keeping the Sunderland keeper busy.

Both sides also picked up at least two cards in their opening games, I can see this being a good, end to end game.

Bruno Fernandes is still clearly United’s best and most important player, and tried his best to try and get his side back into the game against Hull last week.

Fernandes took three shots and created three chances in the game, which were similar underlying numbers to the ones he was posting regularly last season as ended the campaign with 30 goal contributions across just 35 starts in the Premier League.

Fernandes should continue to post similar underlying numbers here, with this game now pretty much being a must win for United after their slight embarrassment on the opening weekend of the season.

United faced off against Ipswich back towards the start of 2025, which was a game they won 3-2 with Fernandes registering an assist from the four chances he created on that occasion.

Luke Shaw collected nine yellow cards across his 38 starts in the Premier League last season, and was targeted a bit by Hull last weekend as they emerged 2-0 winners over United.

Shaw doesn’t quite have the pace or agility that he used to, making him a vulnerable fullback when he’s up against a more dynamic winger. He’s got a perfect opponent here to draw a few fouls and a card from him in Abdul Fatawu - who was fouled three times in Ipswich’s opening game of the season.

Shaw will definitely struggle with the dynamism and speed of Fatawu when Ipswich come forward in transition, and that scenario is perfect for a caution as Shaw may be forced into making tactical fouls to stop the winger.

Maeda is always quite a handful, I watched him regularly at Celtic and he finds a way to get into dangerous positions frequently - it is the final part of his game which is a bit inconsistent, but I think he’ll have chances on the break against a United side that looked very open last week.

Maeda had one shot on his Premier League debut, but should grow into a more consistent shot threat as he settles in at Ipswich having recorded double digits for goals in each of the last four seasons in the Scottish Premiership.

Maeda scored 14 goals domestically last season from 33 shots on target (1.05 per 90). He can also play as a striker, which could come into play if Ipswich change their approach at times in this encounter, given that they will mainly be looking to make the most of counter attacking situations. 

Abdul Fatawu should operate on the Ipswich right wing, placing him directly against Luke Shaw. The Manchester United defender averaged 1.36 fouls per 90 across all competitions last season, rising to 1.70 at Old Trafford.

Fatawu completed a summer move to Portman Road from Leicester, and his competitive debut showed glimpses of how useful he can be. The 22-year-old was fouled three times, despite being replaced after 66 minutes. He gave Reinildo a really tough time at the back. 

Fatawu averaged 1.79 fouls drawn per 90 in the Championship last season, which shows how strong he is in one-on-one situations, and the Ghana international will have to be at his best at Old Trafford this weekend.

Luka Vuskovic averaged 1.22 fouls drawn per 90 for Hamburg last season, which is an impressive figure for a centre-back. He was also fouled in both of his appearances for Croatia at the recent World Cup over the summer. Vuskovic then completed his move to Brighton, and he started their opening victory over Aston Villa, helping his new side record a clean sheet on his competitive debut for the Seagulls.

Vuskovic will have to deal with former Brighton striker Joao Pedro this weekend. The Brazilian should be fired up against his former club, and he committed two fouls when he last started against them. Joao Pedro can be relentless in his press up front, and he should find plenty of duels against Vuskovic at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s front three look incredibly strong on paper, with Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer all scoring against Fulham. All three were willing to drop deeper at times to receive possession and create overloads in midfield. That caused Fulham significant problems, and Pascal Gross will have a massive task at hand trying to contain the trio. 

Gross started alongside Yasin Ayari against Aston Villa last weekend, where the German international committed one foul and received a yellow card. He averaged 1.04 fouls per 90 across all competitions last season, committing at least one infringement in 14 of his 21 appearances. That includes three fouls when he faced Chelsea at the Amex Stadium.

Josh King was fouled once against Chelsea in gameweek one, but he was unfortunate not to land this selection after several close calls went against him. He still completed the full 90 minutes and produced an incredibly positive performance, scoring Fulham’s first goal. 

King averaged 2.07 fouls drawn per 90 last season, rising to 2.46 when playing away from home. Considering he had a limited role under Marco Silva, usually featuring from the bench or being replaced early when he started, those are impressive figures. He looks set for a larger role in this Fulham squad under Arbeloa, especially following the departure of Harry Wilson, so this could be a lucrative market throughout the campaign. 

King will face an aggressive Sunderland midfield this weekend, desperate to respond after their defeat at Ipswich. The Black Cats committed 14 fouls in that match despite controlling 62% of possession.

Brenden Aaronson averaged 1.85 fouls drawn per 90 in the Premier League last season, with that figure rising considerably to 2.39 at Elland Road. He landed this selection in eight of his 14 home starts. Leeds were better at retaining the possession at home, and Aaronson is the player they look at to make things happen in the final third. 

The American international typically features in an inside-forward role under Daniel Farke, giving him the freedom to drop deeper and find pockets of space between the opposition’s midfield and defence. 

Aaronson is a quick and nimble player, and he can be adept at drawing contact in dangerous areas. That is particularly useful with set-piece specialist Anton Stach in the side. Aaronson was fouled twice by Brentford in this fixture last season, while the Bees committed 17 fouls in their opening victory over Tottenham.

Chelsea clicked in the final third against Fulham, with Morgan Rogers making an immediate impact on his competitive debut. It comes as no surprise that he has adapted seamlessly to life in London, given how Rogers and Cole Palmer previously played together in Man City’s youth system. They already have a strong understanding, which means Rogers is likely to hit a new level at Stamford Bridge. 

The 24-year-old scored his first Chelsea goal at Craven Cottage, which was one of three shots he recorded before being replaced with around ten minutes remaining. The Blues registered 18 shots in that game, with six of those hitting the target, and Rogers was a constant threat in the final third.

James Justin blanked on shots against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but he found the back of the net against the same opponent midweek in the EFL Cup. Both of those were away matches, but Justin tends to try his luck more often at Elland Road, landing this selection in eight of his last ten home starts. In one of the two misses, he was replaced at half-time, while in the other he played as a right-sided centre-back.

Justin has been deputising for the injured Gabriel Gudmundsson at left wingback to start the new campaign, and he is a player to target for shots in that position. The 28-year-old has more of a desire to cut inside from the left, onto his stronger right foot. Justin averaged 1.32 shots per 90 at home last season, which is an impressive return for a defender.

Fulham looked disorganised during Alvaro Arbeloa’s first Premier League match in charge, but a few teething problems were expected after a summer of significant change. Still, it only took Chelsea 31 seconds to find the back of the net through Joao Pedro, and the Brazilian could’ve easily added more to his tally throughout the match - he finished with four shots. 

Brian Brobbey should be licking his lips at the prospect of facing this Fulham backline, ahead of Sunderland’s first home game of the campaign. The Dutchman averaged 1.68 shots per 90 in the Premier League last season, which isn’t particularly high, but half of those efforts hit the target. Brobbey tends to be efficient in front of goal, and he landed this selection against Ipswich last time out with one shot on target.

After spending last season with Strasbourg, Julio Enciso has returned to the Premier League with newly promoted Ipswich. The 22-year-old produced an excellent performance against Sunderland, providing the assist for Emersonn to open the scoring following an impressive solo run past several defenders.

Enciso finished the match with three shots to his name, before being replaced after 71 minutes by Jack Clarke who eventually scored the winner. It seemed to just be cramp which forced the Paraguay international off, so he should start here. Enciso doesn’t usually hesitate to let fly, and he had an average of 3.28 shots per 90 for Strasbourg last season. He will be a threat in transition, and a candidate to take set-pieces, which could be useful at Old Trafford this weekend.

Another player with impressive shot figures is Matheus Cunha. He registered three attempts against Hull last weekend, but was left frustrated as the newly promoted Tigers kept a clean sheet. Manchester United finished the match with 21 shots, and they will hope to exert that same level of control here against Ipswich. 

During his first season at Old Trafford, Cunha averaged 3.24 shots per 90 in the Premier League and he reached double figures with ten goals - a notable achievement. He recorded 90 attempts across the campaign, with 39 coming from outside the box, highlighting how readily he shoots from distance. With Man United expected to dominate proceedings, especially after their defeat last weekend, shots should be in abundance here for the front men.

Saka looked sharp in Arsenal’s opening game of the campaign against Coventry, taking three shots in total and seeing one of these efforts find the target.

He looks a lot more comfortable with Odegaard and Ben White as the players supporting him on that side, that trio have played a lot together and understand each other's movement really well - which helps to get Saka into dangerous positions.

Saka scored seven goals across 25 starts in the Premier League last season. He took 71 shots across these games (2.87 per 90), seeing 27 of these efforts find the target (1.09 per 90). 

Bukayo Saka is very consistent when it comes to winning fouls and was fouled once in Arsenal’s opening game of the season as they came away comfortable 3-0 winners in one of the most convincing displays from any side on the opening weekend.

Saka was fouled in both league meetings between these sides last season, winning two fouls when Arsenal travelled to Villa Park. He won 54 fouls across 25 starts overall in the Premier League last campaign (2.18 per 90) and will be up against Ian Maatsen, who can be quite clumsy with his challenges and averaged 0.96 fouls committed per 90 in the Premier League last season.

Kamara is one of Aston Villa’s most important players and will have a crucial role here if Emery’s side are to avoid defeat as the main defensively minded midfielder following Joao Gomes’ red card in Villa’s opening game of the season.

Kamara committed two fouls in that game as Villa suffered a bruising 4-0 defeat to Brighton, contesting 11 duels and also making two tackles. Kamara committed 17 fouls across his 17 starts in the Premier League last season (1.08 fouls committed per 90) and will have a tough test against Myles Lewis-Skelly here.

Lewis-Skelly is one of the best players in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls. He was hauled down three times in Arsenal’s opening game of the season and averaged 2.06 fouls won per 90 in the top flight last term.

Aston Villa were all over the place defensively against Brighton last time out, conceding four goals and still requiring Marco Bizot to make three saves.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Zion Suzuki make his debut here, Villa have signed the keeper from Parma where he was forced to make 66 saves across 20 starts in his most recent campaign (3.30 saves per 90).

Arsenal looked really good in forward areas against Coventry in their opening game, managing six shots on target and converting half of these efforts. 

Arsenal forced 3+ saves from Emi Martinez in both head to head meetings between the sides last season, forcing the Villa keeper into making seven saves when the sides met at Villa Park last year. 

Both of these sides were quite inventive from set piece situations last season and we should see corners be an important part of both teams’ attacking approach this term.

Arsenal forced eight corners in their win over Coventry on the opening weekend, conceding two as well to take their total to 10 corners - which was around the average their games saw in the Premier League last campaign.

Aston Villa’s clash with Brighton produced seven corners, though Villa’s count of two was blunted by the fact that they were reduced to 10 men early on in that game. Both sides can contribute to the corner count here to help cover this line for this leg of our bet builder.

Alonso had two shots in Celta Vigo’s season opener as they drew 0-0 with Valencia.

Despite operating on the left-hand side of a back-three, Alonso is given license to roam a bit and underlap into some forward areas. He still has that thunderous left-foot and he’s encouraged to take on a shot if the opportunity arises.

Of course, he’s also a free-kick taker when the angle suits. We’ve seen him hit some beauties throughout his career and having this in your locker is brilliant when backing someone for shots.

He has also taken a penalty for Celta in the past, so depending on who is on the pitch that is also another avenue to a winner.

When I knew I’d be covering this game I was scrambling to see Alex Febas’ odds for both fouls committed and fouls drawn.

Febas was involved in a truly ridiculous nine fouls in his Celta debut - committing five fouls and drawing four.

His fouls drawn numbers throughout his career are remarkable. Since 2020 he has averaged 3.28, 3.59, 3.56, 3.78, 3.45 and 3.36 each season. Incredible consistency. He’s a wonderful technician and has the ability to skip past the best of players.

Febas was fouled 118 times last season - the most in La Liga, the next closest was Vini Jr on 81.

Back the £117 Million man to hit the target with the link below.

Martin Odegaard was brilliant in Arsenal’s win over Coventry in their opening game of the season, scoring the third goal to secure all three points against Frank Lampard’s side.

I think Odegaard is at his best when he’s got Saka and White alongside him down that side of the pitch. The trio understand each other really well, and that is reflected in the quality of their movement in the final third which helped Saka and Odegaard get into dangerous positions.

Odegaard also scored in Arsenal’s win over City in the Community Shield, so he’s started the season in really strong form after a pretty good World Cup campaign as well. 

Odegaard was also impressive when these sides last met, setting up one of Arsenal’s goals as they came away 4-1 winners over Villa with Odegaard creating more chances than any other player in that game (3).

McGinn picked up a card in Villa’s opening game of the season, which ended in embarrassment as they were beaten 4-0 by Brighton and didn’t even manage a shot on target.

Villa have lost quite a few key players, but McGinn is someone who still deeply cares about the club and will be willing to show a bit of fight - as he did last week, committing one foul which was enough to earn him a caution.

McGinn also picked up a yellow card in the Super Cup final, and was cautioned in Villa’s final pre-season friendly against Mochengladbach. He collected five yellow cards across 28 starts in the Premier League last season, and will have quite a few defensive responsibilities here.

Buendia had to play as a makeshift striker for Villa against Brighton last time out, with Unai Emery’s options to lead the line currently being quite limited due to injuries and Ollie Watkins nearing a move away from the club.

Buendia took three shots inside just seven minutes in the defeat Villa suffered to Brighton last weekend, accounting for half of Villa’s total efforts in that game. Buendia was an important player for Villa last season, registering 20 goal contributions across 54 appearances.

He averaged 2.51 shots per 90 in the Premier League last season, and also came off the bench to score the winner against Arsenal in this fixture last season. 

Inter won the Serie A title by an 11 point margin last season and rarely looked troubled by those around them. Their 87 point haul was more than double that of opponents Cagliari, who finished the campaign on 43 points.

Cagliari haven’t beaten Inter since 2019 and the defending champions won both meetings last season to nil.

Inter started their campaign with an impressive display as they stuck four past Monza. Cagliari also started with a win but they’ll be looking over their shoulder again this season.

I’d expect Inter to show their distinct quality and get the win here.

Bisseck netted in the season opener with a left-footed strike from just inside the box. It was an excellent goal. He had stayed forward and drove from deep to then take his chance like a forward.

In this system, Bisseck has the freedom to do such things. The outside centre-halves for Inter are encouraged to underlap when the ball is moved forward and often find themselves in the box or on the edge with a chance to shoot.

Bisseck is also a giant and the main threat from corners and free-kicks. He averaged 1.17 shots per 90 last season in Serie A and netted three goals.

This looks like a cracking price for a very exciting young player who managed to rattle off four shots in the Serie A opener, despite being subbed in the 66th minute.

In his limited game time last season, his shot volume was also very high - averaging 4.03 per 90 minutes. The youngster also netted two goals.

He played 45 minutes in the Coppa Italia this season too and managed three shots in that one as well.

He’s very enthusiastic and still quite raw, sometimes choosing to shoot rather than pass but that only favours us and I think given the opponent, the odds have provided some value.

I mentioned in the earlier Mendy selection about his enthusiasm and that enthusiasm does see him chasing the ball down, pressing his opponents and really trying to impress, which has led to fouls and I don’t think his odds have caught up yet.

He averaged a huge 3.42 fouls in his 11 appearances last season. He committed two fouls in his 45 minutes in the Coppa Italia at the beginning of the season and committed a foul in their league opener.

There will be plenty of periods in this match where Mendy has to try and press and chip in defensively as Cagliari are starved of the ball.

The Greek striker netted 17 goals in all competitions last season for Como, including 14 in Serie A. He’s started well this season with a goal in Como’s opening match.

He was very active in front of goal, having four shots and hitting the target on three occasions.

He hit the target 30 times last season, an average of 1.19 shots on target per 90 minutes.

He’s adept in every scenario, which was shown on matchday one as he hit the target with his right-foot, left-foot and his head.

Como love front-foot, attacking football. That’s how Fabregas operates. Expect them to create chances.

Following on from the above - if Paz is to foul, there’s a good chance he could get one on McTominay, who drew 2.35 fouls per 90 minutes in Serie A last season.

McTominay was fouled three times across his two meetings with Como last season, with this selection landing in the home match.

Como also added Luis Milla to their squad. The midfielder was a regular offender in the foul markets for Getafe, committing comfortably above 1.20 fouls per 90 minutes for the majority of his time in Spain and has racked up plenty of cards in that time too - he has previously broke double figures during his time at Tenerife too.

Paz got his season off to a mental start in the fouls department as he committed five fouls and was fouled four times.

He is the heartbeat of this Como side and is always in the thick of the action. He’s a wonderful footballer but also a big, strong lad who wants to get stuck in and he’ll be in the engine room here against Napoli’s most dangerous players.

Paz averaged 1.67 fouls per 90 minutes last season in Serie A and will be in close proximity to Napoli's midfield, likely to be McTominay, Anguissa and Lobotka, who combined for an average of 5.31 fouls drawn per 90 minutes last season.

The Eerste Divisie is one of the best leagues for goals in Europe, and there’s a fascinating matchup here between the youth teams of PSV and Ajax - two sides competing towards the top of the Eredivisie. 

Jong Ajax have seen BTTS in each of their last four matches ahead of this game but have not started the season strongly - losing three of their opening four matches of the campaign. They did manage to secure that first win last time out, coming away 3-2 winners over Helmond Sport.

PSV saw BTTS last time out as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Waalwijk - they’ve seen BTTS in four of their last five matches, only keeping a clean sheet against a Top Oss side who have scored fewer goals than any other side in the league so far (3).

Neither of these sides has started the season well, with Utrecht losing all four of their matches so far this season and Alkmaar winning just one of their games - despite scoring seven goals.

Utrecht have seen BTTS in all four of these defeats, they’ve conceded the joint most goals of any side across the opening few games of the Eerste Divisie campaign (13) and saw BTTS in their most recent meeting with Alkmaar, emerging as 4-1 winners.

Alkmaar have seen BTTS in each of their last three games, conceding eight goals across their opening four matches. Both defences look vulnerable here, and both sides have still been scoring goals despite their general poor form at the start of this campaign.

Atalanta saw BTTS in the opening game of their campaign as they came away 2-1 winners over Sassuolo, but were quite lucky to claim all three points having conceded an xG of 2.70 from 22 shots and relying heavily on Carnesecchi - who made seven saves.

Bologna should have really found the back of the net in their opening game of the campaign, registering an xG of 1.78 from 14 shots against Lazio - but ultimately falling to a 1-0 defeat. Bologna actually scored most of their goals away from home in Serie A last season, netting 30 goals across their 19 matches (1.57 per game).

That tally accounted for 61% of the total goals they scored in Serie A last season, and they should feel encouraged by the volume of chances that Sassuolo managed to generate against Atalanta in their opening game of the campaign.