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Partick Thistle go into the opening day on a high after securing qualification from their League Cup group.

They are one of only five Championship teams to progress, doing so while remaining unbeaten, including a 1-1 draw away to Championship favourites Livingston.

Last season, Thistle finished 2nd, pushing eventual champions St Johnstone all the way into the final weeks of the campaign.

Their transfer business has also been impressive this summer with the squad appearing stronger rather than weaker.

In particular, they’ve retained last season’s Players’ Player of the Year and overall Player of the Year, Ben Stanway, who as I write this, is still at the club.

Where this bet really stands out is the opposition. Morton are in a real mess. Two weeks ago, they announced they had been forced to cut their cloth to what will be the lowest budget in the league following the withdrawal of a key investor.

That has been reflected in their League Cup campaign, where they lost all four matches without scoring a single goal. This came in a group featuring a non-league side, who beat them 1-0, and a League One side, who won 2-0.

As things stand, Morton look a stick-on to be relegated. This match against Partick Thistle also comes at a time when not only is morale low, but they haven’t even assembled a full squad yet.

Partick Thistle should win this comfortably.

It’s a new-look Ayr United side this season under Gary Naysmith, who took over in the summer and has already signed eight new players.

Ayr are another of the five Championship teams to qualify from their League Cup group.

They did so in impressive fashion, winning all four matches, including a 1-0 away victory over Premiership side Falkirk.

Ayr scored 10 goals across those four games, with six coming from their new signings.

Arbroath had a strong campaign last season, finishing in the top four, but they face a difficult second season back in the Championship after losing the majority of the players who helped them reach the play-offs.

Their eight new signings also appear to be weaker than the players they’ve replaced, and that has been reflected in their League Cup performances.

They finished 3rd in their group despite being the second seeds, taking just six points from a possible 12.

That included a 3-0 defeat away to Dundee United, a 2-0 home defeat to League One side Montrose, before wins over League Two Stirling (1-0) and Spartans (2-1).

Across those four matches they conceded at least once in three of them, with their only clean sheet coming at home to League Two Stirling.

Last season, when Arbroath were arguably at their strongest, Ayr still managed to score in all four meetings.

This should land comfortably again, and I actually think there’s good value in backing an Ayr United win as well.

I think St Mirren can make life difficult for Falkirk on Saturday, which is why I’m backing the visitors to score. 

Despite enduring a difficult campaign last term, this was a fixture that the Buddies enjoyed, winning on both of their visits to the Falkirk Stadium.

While the Bairns exceeded expectations last season, they have lost a number of key players over the summer and are now facing a period of transition. 

There have already been signs of that during the Scottish League Cup, with Falkirk losing 1-0 at home to Ayr before being held to a 1-1 draw at Alloa.

John McGlynn’s side like to play on the front foot, but that attacking approach can leave gaps defensively, something that became increasingly apparent towards the end of last season.

Indeed, Falkirk failed to keep a clean sheet in 12 of their final 13 Scottish Premiership matches last term.

Another team I’m keen to back to score at least once on Saturday is Dunfermline, who travel to Inverness. 

The Pars look well-equipped to challenge near the top end of the division this season, and they possess the attacking quality to cause the Caley Jags problems.

After a slow start to the previous campaign, Dunfermline ended the season strongly, scoring in three of their four playoff ties before grabbing a consolation goal in the Scottish Cup final against Celtic.

They have carried that momentum into this term, securing qualification to the knockout stages of the Scottish League Cup with three wins from four matches, including an impressive victory away at St Mirren last Sunday.

Inverness were a tough nut to crack during their title-winning League One campaign, but they will encounter a much greater challenge this term and could struggle to keep a dangerous Dunfermline attack quiet.

I’m expecting Livingston to make a winning start to life back in the Scottish Championship when they host Queen’s Park on Saturday. 

The Lions endured a miserable return to the Scottish Premiership last term, but they boast a squad that looks stronger than most in the second tier.

While Glenn Whelan’s side failed to progress from their Scottish League Cup group, they avoided defeat in all four matches inside 90 minutes, including an emphatic 8-0 victory over Forfar in their most recent outing at home.

Queen’s Park enjoyed an impressive group stage, winning three of their four matches, but still failed to progress after coming up short against Aberdeen, who exposed the quality gap between the two sides. 

Livingston may not be operating at that same level, but they should have enough quality in their ranks to secure a solid, if unspectacular, victory on their return to the Scottish Championship.

I think East Kilbride can hit the ground running in Scottish League One by defeating Queen of the South on Saturday.

Mick Kennedy’s men have already produced some eye-catching performances in the Scottish League Cup, sweeping aside Dunfermline 3-0 in their opening match before pushing St Mirren all the way in a thrilling 4-3 defeat.

Queen of the South, meanwhile, could be facing a difficult campaign amid financial struggles and the departure of key player Kai Kennedy over the summer.

The Doonhamers’ only victory during the group stage of the Scottish League Cup came against Highland League outfit Brora Rangers, while they suffered defeats by 4-1 and 3-1 against Aberdeen and Queen’s Park respectively in their final two fixtures.

That does not bode well ahead of a clash with an East Kilbride side that won each of their final seven home matches on their way to the title last term.

Ross County are the outright favourites for the Scottish League One title, and I’m expecting them to begin their promotion push with three points away at Peterhead on Saturday.

The Staggies have endured a miserable couple of seasons, tumbling down to the third tier after back-to-back relegations, but they look equipped to bounce back immediately after retaining key players and strengthening over the summer. 

Stuart Kettlewell’s side also arrive at Balmoor with confidence behind them, having comfortably secured qualification to the knockout stages of the Scottish League Cup with three wins and a draw from their four matches.

Peterhead, meanwhile, endured a disappointing League Cup campaign, claiming just one victory from four matches, with that success coming against lower league Elgin.

The Blue Toon have also lost several influential players over the summer, and they could hardly have asked for a tougher opener.

The top four race looks really open this season and Chelsea have a real advantage by not being in Europe. 

Chelsea are not as far away from the Champions League spots as their 10th placed finish last year would suggest.

The Blues pretty much tanked their season after Enzo Maresca left the club and were around the top three positions while he was still in his role. 

Chelsea have signed Morgan Rogers as well as Marco Palestra already this summer and are heavily linked with a move for Maxence Lacroix at the time of writing. 

These additions add to the likes of Emegha and Quenda who had already secured moves to the West London side.

These signings signal a shift from Chelsea’s previous obsession with only securing young talent. Most of these players are also very tall and physical, an aspect that Chelsea desperately fell short for last year. 

Xabi Alonso is clearly a very capable manager having won the league title with Bayer Leverkusen and maintaining a 71% win percentage as Real Madrid boss.

He’s coming into an environment where the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, the two powerhouses of the last 10 years, have new managers - a terrain which could be perfect for Alonso to finally make this Chelsea side competitive in the Premier League with only one game per week.

Stockport faced heartbreak in the League One Play-Off Final at the end of last season as they were beaten 4-1 by Bolton at Wembley. 

That was the second consecutive season in which Stockport have finished third and gone out in the playoffs, which tells me that they are a club that are doing a lot of things right at this level and should have a decent stab at getting out of League One at the third time of asking.

Stockport really didn’t do much wrong when you look at their underlying numbers from last season, they ranked within the top 5 sides for most key metrics and also had one of the league’s top scorers in Kyle Wootton.

Stockport were a similar price to register a Top 6 finish last year and I think the market is underestimating their chances again as a side that now understands League One quite well. Stockport are priced at 5.50 to earn promotion this year, which is a price also worth looking at. 

Barnet are definitely a side worth keeping an eye on this year after finishing eighth at the first time of asking after winning promotion to the EFL.

They finished just two points below a spot in the playoffs last year and notably had the second best away record of any side in the division. It was their inconsistent home form which saw them fall short of a Top 7 finish.

Barnet are third favourites to be promoted from League Two this term, only sitting behind Salford City and Bristol Rovers. We’ve got some insurance by backing them for a Top 7 finish even if they slightly underperform from pre-season expectations.

The Championship extending the number of playoff spots down to eighth is a really significant change this season and Wrexham could easily benefit.

Phil Parkinson’s side finished seventh last season, just two points away from Hull who eventually earned promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs. 

That finish would be enough this year for Wrexham to have a chance of promotion and I think we’ll see the Welsh side battling in the top half of the Championship again this term.

Wrexham have a really deep squad with a wealth of Championship and EFL experience that can aid them in a push for the playoffs this year. 

I think there’s a decent price on this when considering that the likes of Norwich, Sheffield United and Birmingham are shorter than Wrexham to secure a Top 8 Finish - I’d back Wrexham to be just as competitive as those sides.

Goal Sheet Rating - 9.25

Aberdeen have seen 2+ goals in all four of their League Cup matches ahead of the start of the Scottish Premiership season, notably winning all four of these matches.

Hearts are in a transitional moment right now after losing their manager and top scorer to Rangers over the summer, seeing 2+ goals in all five of their matches in the build up to the new campaign.

This run includes a pretty bruising defeat to Sturm Graz with Wouter Vrancken’s side losing 6-0 over two legs - conceding 2+ goals in both matches. 

Goal Sheet Rating - 7.00

If you followed my Saturday accumulators regularly last season, you’d be familiar with Lausanne Sport as they were one of my go-to sides for goals across Europe.

Their 38 games in the Swiss Super League last season produced 120 goals (3.15 per game) and their most recent meeting with Basel produced exactly three goals as they fell to a 2-1 defeat back in March. 

Only two sides kept fewer clean sheets than Lausanne in the Swiss Super League last term, and I think they’ll be just as good to watch for goals this year as they were in the last campaign. 

Goal Sheet Rating - 6.55

Lyngby fell to a 3-2 defeat against Copenhagen in their opening game of the season in an entertaining contest which saw both sides register an xG in excess of 1.0 (1.56-2.34). 

They take on an Aarhus side who drew their opening game of the season against Brondby, notably registering an xG of 1.91 in that 1-1 draw.

Aarhus followed up that draw with a 4-1 win over Lech Poznan in Champions League qualifying, after losing the first leg 4-1 - which shows just how volatile the away side can be.

Goal Sheet Rating - 7.70 

It’s easy to see why this game is at the top of my goals list for BTTS on Saturday. 

BTTS has landed in each of the last four head to head meetings between these sides, with the most recent meeting producing 11 goals as Young Boys came away 8-3 winners over Thun.

Thun have seen BTTS in all four of their matches since returning to action for the new season, most recently falling to a 3-2 defeat against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League qualifiers.

Young Boys saw BTTS in their opening game of the Swiss Super League as they came away 4-2 winners over Sion with both sides notably registering an xG in excess of 1.0 (3.08-1.59). 

FANDOM is one of the more interesting each-way contenders, for this season's prestigious Stewards’ Cup Handicap, run over the 6f distance.

The son of Showcasing has shown winning form over 6f this season, and he has been largely progressive - including a keeping-on 3rd at Ascot over 5f last time.

The move back to 6f, at this speedy course, could ideally suit.

The Richard Hannon-trained runner was a Listed winner in the US and could be peaking at the right time this week.

Watch out for him late on the scene, at a juicy each-way price.

These sides have met twice this year with Viking coming out on top in both meetings.

The away side here have scored 10 goals across those two games, indicating that there is a clear gulf in class between these teams which should be evident again.

It’s an important game for Viking too, they sit just one point behind Bodo Glimt in the race for the Eliteserien title - which also went down to the wire last year. 

Three points for Viking here would take them back to the top of the league, and also put some distance between themselves and Tromso who are threatening to crash the two horse title race.

Start sit rock bottom of the Eliteserien and have only managed to win one of their six home games this term, only scoring six goals across these games.

Stormsgodset have only lost two of their 15 games in the 1. Divisjon so far this season, a record that is level with the league leaders in Kongsvinger. 

They take on a Bryne side they have already beaten this year, coming away 1-0 winners when the teams met back in May - with Stormsgodset being the dominant side in that narrow victory.

Only four teams have picked up fewer points than Bryne at home in the 1. Divisjon this term, with Bryne only winning three of their seven matches and notably conceding 11 goals in front of their own fans. 

VALEDICTORY (10.0) impressed at Goodwood in May with a win over C&D. His other win this season also came on good ground so today's good to firm is in his comfort zone.

Today's distance of 1m6f also seems to be his sweet spot after stepping up with two wins from two and has fully proven himself at todays Class 2.

Jockey William Buick is in excellent form winning 5 of his last 10 races and he rode Valedictory to both his wins establishing strong partnership.

AL AASY (8.7) is well known at Goodwood as he returns hoping to make it three wins in three years in the Glorious Stakes winning in both 2024 and 2025. He has a strong career record of middle distances, anywhere between 1m2f and 1m5f so today's trip of 1m4f is bang in the sweet spot and raises no concerns.

He is also dominant at today's Group 3 level of course winning this race twice but also the Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown last year. He has been competitive in the past at Group 1/Group 2 level but he is fully proven and found his level at this grade and this is his race.

Trainer William Haggas has an excellent strike rate this season but it's even better here at Goodwood with 68%, an exceptionally sharp figure that can't be ignored.

SANTORINI STAR (8.1) also won here last year in it's only race at Goodwood giving herself a 100% strike rate, a small sample but an emphatic one. Today's good to firm is ideal with her winning a Group 2 at Newmarket in May in the same conditions. Today's 1m4f is also the exact same as her Newmarket win and today she drops from Group 2 into Group 3 so is proven at this level and even higher.

Her trainer is again William Haggas who is having a remarkable week and jockey Tom Marquand has been her regular partner for virtually every race since mid 2025.

FERROUS (8.1) again won here in his only race at Goodwood back in 2023 over today's distance which is his bread and butter. The vast majority of his career starts including all of his recent runs have been over this distance and trainer Jack Channon has noted he has plenty of speed but also stays well, suggesting 7f is also within range but that being effective at 6f requires the ability to see out 7f, meaning we should have no stamina concerns here.

Jockey Callum Rodriguez has built a strong partnership with him and has been aboard for most of his wins this season including his victories at Newcastle in February and April.

Chicago won both of the head to head meetings between these sides last year, scoring at least three goals in both of these victories.

Both of these sides have done relatively well so far and are seperated by just one point in the Eastern Conference, but there is a disparity between the two that emerges when looking at their home and away records.

Chicago have won five of their eight home games in the MLS this season, notably only conceding nine goals - which is one of the strongest home defensive records across both conferences.

Charlotte have notably scored 20 of their 28 goals (71%) and collected 18 of their 25 points (72%) when playing at home, winning just two of their seven matches on the road.

Only three sides have scored fewer goals than Charlotte on the road in the Eastern Conference, and this limited scoring power is likely to struggle against a Chicago side who are very secure at the back when playing in front of their home fans.

San Jose have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 12 matches across all competitions, seeing BTTS in 10 of these games.

They were held to a 1-1 draw by LA Galaxy last time out and find themselves sitting third in the Western Conference despite this recent poor defensive record, sitting level with LAFC and Vancouver Whitecaps as the best teams in the Western Conference.

Cincinnati’s recent games have been very chaotic with BTTS landing in each of their last seven matches, with six of these seven games producing at least four goals - Cincinnati have conceded 2+ goals in all seven of these recent games.

These sides last met in June 2024 in a contest that produced six goals as Cincinnati came away 4-2 winners. Quite a lot has changed since that result, but recent trends would indicate that both sides can get on the scoresheet in this clash. 

This fixture is always one to watch for goals in the MLS with seven of the last eight head to head meetings between the sides seeing BTTS.

The most recent clash produced six goals as Inter Miami came away 5-1 winners last year, who now enter this meeting having won each of their last six matches - seeing BTTS in four of these games.

Columbus Crew come into this one having seen BTTS in each of their last three matches, and have only managed to win one of their eight games on the road. These games have produced 29 goals (3.62 per game).

Inter Miami have only lost one of their seven home games so far this season, but have conceded 15 goals across these matches with their home games seeing an average of 4.85 goals per game. 

These sides met back in February with that meeting seeing BTTS as New York Red Bulls came away 2-1 winners over Orlando with both sides producing an xG in excess of 2.0 (2.41-4.64) from 39 shots in the contest.

New York Red Bulls have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 17 matches across all competitions, seeing BTTS in 13 of these games. 

Their eight home matches in the MLS this season have produced 29 goals (3.62 per game), with the home side here conceding three more goals than they’ve scored in front of their home fans. 

Orlando have seen BTTS in three of their last five matches coming into this contest. They’ve only managed to win two of their nine away matches in the MLS, notably conceding more goals than any other side in the Eastern Conference on their travels (31 - 3.44 per game).

These sides have been just as bad as each other across the 17 games of the MLS season so far, with both only managing to win three of their games in the MLS - leaving them as the bottom two sides in the Eastern Conference.

These sides faced off back in March in a contest that produced four goals as Atlanta came away 3-1 winners over Philadelphia with both sides registering an xG in excess of 2.0 (2.02-2.24). 

Atlanta have only managed to keep one clean sheet across their 17 matches in the MLS, while Philadelphia’s record isn’t much better with just three shutouts across the same number of games in the MLS.

Philadelphia have had some encouragement in recent weeks, with two of their three victories coming within their last two matches - though they have seen BTTS in four of their last five games ahead of this clash. 

Kevin Nisbet ended the 25/26 season as Aberdeen’s top scorer in the SPFL with nine goals, netting 11 goals across all competitions. He’s already scored six goals across his four appearances for Aberdeen this term with all of these goals coming in the League Cup.

Those opponents are obviously of a lower level than the Hearts side that Nisbet will line up against here, but he should have plenty of personal confidence ahead of this tie against a Hearts team who will be low on confidence and are clearly in a moment of transition. 

Nisbet is also on penalties for Aberdeen, which is where three of his six goals in the League Cup have come from so far this term. He averaged 2.48 shots per 90 in reaching his nine goals in the Scottish top flight last term.

Hearts came within inches of ending the dominance of the Old Firm in Scottish football last season, battling until the very final day where they eventually came unstuck against Celtic who came from behind to win 3-1 and secure another Scottish Premiership title.

Hearts have undergone quite a few changes since that result, most notably losing manager Derek McInnes to Rangers alongside Cameron Devlin and Lawrence Shankland. 

There is naturally going to be a transitional process for Hearts as they adapt to these changes, and that was evident in their Champions League qualifier against Sturm Graz which they lost 6-0 over two legs. 

Aberdeen may sense an opportunity to take advantage of the sea of change at Hearts and have a bit of momentum to take into the league season having won each of their four matches in the League Cup, scoring 2+ goals in all of these games.

It’s also worth noting that Hearts are likely to have one eye on the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie against Benfica to come on Thursday, which also looks like an uphill task for Wouter Vrancken’s men.

Aberdeen collected the second most cards in the Scottish Premiership last season (88 - 2.31 per game). 

Only Livingston (91) collected more yellow cards than the home side here, with Aberdeen also topping the chart for the most red cards in the division last term (5). 

The home side here committed 16 fouls and collected five yellow cards when these sides last met, back towards the end of February, and also collected three cards from 20 fouls in this fixture last campaign.

The referee for this game is David Dickinson who has officiated 82 games in the Scottish Premiership, maintaining an appealing 4.22 yellow cards per game. 

I’m eager to end Goodwood on a high and am keen on the chance of BLUE COURVOISIER, who looks primed for a huge run.

With Saffie Osborne continuing to perform out of her skin, at the moment, I’m delighted that she retains the ride, having won on him decisively at Carlisle two starts ago. Blue Courvoisier is one of a pair of three-year-olds (receiving weight from their elders) with leading claims, but I’m siding with the Clive Cox-trained runner to confirm form with Cresta Wave from that Carlisle race. They race from the same weight difference here and my selection ran far better than his finishing position suggests at Royal Ascot.

His midfield effort in the Britannia Stakes Handicap can be upgraded, as he was drawn on the unfavoured far side group. Interestingly, our winner here on Thursday, Exclusive Code, ran in the same race at Ascot.

Hopefully that is an omen for us to end the week, with another winner on the downs!

VALEDICTORY (10.0) impressed at Goodwood in May with a win over C&D. His other win this season also came on good ground so today's good to firm is in his comfort zone.

Today's distance of 1m6f also seems to be his sweet spot after stepping up with two wins from two and has fully proven himself at todays Class 2.

Jockey William Buick is in excellent form winning 5 of his last 10 races and he rode Valedictory to both his wins establishing strong partnership.

AL AASY (8.7) is well known at Goodwood as he returns hoping to make it three wins in three years in the Glorious Stakes winning in both 2024 and 2025. He has a strong career record of middle distances, anywhere between 1m2f and 1m5f so today's trip of 1m4f is bang in the sweet spot and raises no concerns.

He is also dominant at today's Group 3 level of course winning this race twice but also the Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown last year. He has been competitive in the past at Group 1/Group 2 level but he is fully proven and found his level at this grade and this is his race.

Trainer William Haggas has an excellent strike rate this season but it's even better here at Goodwood with 68%, an exceptionally sharp figure that can't be ignored.

There really isn’t much between these sides who sit just one place and two points apart in the Eliteserien.

Both sides are chasing a spot in the top four which would give them a shot at playing in Europe next season, and there looks to be just one spot that’s attainable with Tromso, Viking and Bodo Glimt pulling away in the title race.

Molde have seen BTTS in each of their last seven matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Sarpsborg as the away side back in May. 

That clash saw both sides register an xG in excess of 1.0 (1.18 - 1.21) and we should see both sides have chances in front of goal here again given how closely matched they are, and what is at stake in terms of European qualification. 

Midtyjjland started their domestic campaign with a 3-2 win over Sonderjyske away from home.

It was far from a complete performance, but Midtyjjland should be able to use that result to kick on here against a newly promoted side. 

Midtyjjland finished second in the Danish top flight last term, losing just two of their 18 home games with only the champions in AGF picking up more points at home than Mike Tullberg’s side (34). 

Midtyjjland’s superior quality should see them over the line here against a Horsens side who are likely to struggle on the road against the top sides in this league as a newly promoted side. 

Goal Sheet Rating - 9.10 

Brann have failed to keep a clean sheet across their last 13 matches.

Brann’s seven home games have produced 22 goals (3.14 per game).

Rosenborg have only won one of their six away matches, conceding nine goals across these games. 

Goal Sheet Rating - 7.40 

Rapid Wien have seen 3+ goals in each of their last six matches across all competitions, covering this line on their own in five of these matches.

Goal Sheet Rating - 8.00

Copenhagen have seen BTTS in each of their last eight matches across all competitions, including their opening game of the domestic season.

Silkeborg saw BTTS in their opening game of the season as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Randers.

Goal Sheet Rating - 8.93

St Gallen have seen 2+ goals in each of their last 21 matches across all competitions.

Vaduz have seen 2+ goals in each of their last 14 matches across all competitions.

Goal Sheet Rating - 8.63 

Sion have seen 3+ goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions.

Luzern saw four goals in their opening game of the campaign, losing 3-1 to Thun.

Celtic kick off the defence of their title against Dundee at home, a side that they’ve already beaten twice this year - scoring 2+ goals in both matches.

Only Hearts (49) picked up more points at home than Celtic (46) in the Scottish Premiership last season, with Martin O’Neil’s side scoring 43 goals across their 19 games (2.26 per game). 

Dundee really struggled on the road in the top flight last term, winning just two of their 19 away games - conceding 33 goals across these matches (1.73 per game). 

FCSB have won their opening two games of the Romanian domestic season without conceding a goal.

They’re looking to get back to the levels they set in the 24/25 campaign, where they emerged as league champions, which was followed by a disappointing season where the demands of Europe saw them finish mid-table.

They won’t have that to worry about this term having already exited the qualifying process for the Conference League which should allow them to return to the dominant force they were a few seasons ago.

Farul Constanta have lost their only away game of the campaign so far, and only won three of their 15 games on the road last term - losing nine of these matches.