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Sunderland come into this clash under pressure following their 2-0 defeat against Brighton, as they have lost each of their last three consecutive league matches. However, they did manage a positive start in their European campaign, beating AZ Alkmaar 1-0 before the break. It was a dominant performance from the Black Cats, who eventually found the decisive goal through Enzo Le Fee from the spot. 

Once again, there is a massive gulf in quality between these two sides, and Sunderland will hope to capitalise. Torreense qualified to the Europa League after winning the Portuguese Cup last season, but they are massive underdogs in the competition. In fact, they currently sit 15th in the Portuguese second division with the record of one win, three draws and three losses.

Both sides made winning starts to their Europa League campaigns, as Lyon beat Anderlecht 2-1 in Belgium, while Crystal Palace dismantled Lech Poznan 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Over 2.5 goals has landed in six out of eight matches for Palace this season, and their recent encounter against Nottingham Forest was particularly open. 

Lyon have also been an entertaining side to watch, especially when playing on home turf. Over 2.5 goals has landed in four out of their five matches, with BTTS in three of those. They came away with a 4-0 win over Rennes in their last outing at the Groupama Stadium, and a 3-1 victory over Auxerre before that.

Bournemouth have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League so far after six matches. They have picked up 18 yellow cards - only Hull have been carded more. That includes four yellow cards against Chelsea last time out. Even in the Europa League, there were six cards shown in Bournemouth’s round one fixture against Real Sociedad, with three apiece. 

Sturm Graz haven’t been as aggressive, but they are still averaging 3.73 cards per game across all competitions this season, with 2.0 for, and 1.7 against. The Austrian side have been awarded at least two bookings in each of their last seven consecutive matches across all competitions.

Benfica are heavy favourites here, and I can’t see past them winning and scoring at least a couple of goals in the process.

Marco Silva’s men claimed arguably the most eye-catching result of matchday one in the Europa League, securing a 2-0 win away to AC Milan. 

They’ve also made a reasonably strong start to their Primeira Liga campaign, winning six of their opening eight matches and scoring multiple goals in each of those victories, including each of their last three at home.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Lisbon heavyweights hit Hearts for six during Europa League qualifying at the Estadio da Luz.

Celtic picked up a morale-boosting 2-0 win away to Motherwell at the weekend, but were humbled 3-1 at home by Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener. 

The Hoops also conceded four goals in 90 minutes away to LASK Linz during Champions League qualifying, which does not bode well ahead of Thursday’s trip to Portugal.

Sunderland come into this clash under pressure following their 2-0 defeat against Brighton, as they have lost each of their last three consecutive league matches. However, they did manage a positive start in their European campaign, beating AZ Alkmaar 1-0 before the break. It was a dominant performance from the Black Cats, who eventually found the decisive goal through Enzo Le Fee from the spot. 

Once again, there is a massive gulf in quality between these two sides, and Sunderland will hope to capitalise. Torreense qualified to the Europa League after winning the Portuguese Cup last season, but they are massive underdogs in the competition. In fact, they currently sit 15th in the Portuguese second division with the record of one win, three draws and three losses.

Both sides made winning starts to their Europa League campaigns, as Lyon beat Anderlecht 2-1 in Belgium, while Crystal Palace dismantled Lech Poznan 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Over 2.5 goals has landed in six out of eight matches for Palace this season, and their recent encounter against Nottingham Forest was particularly open. 

Lyon have also been an entertaining side to watch, especially when playing on home turf. Over 2.5 goals has landed in four out of their five matches, with BTTS in three of those. They came away with a 4-0 win over Rennes in their last outing at the Groupama Stadium, and a 3-1 victory over Auxerre before that.

Benfica are heavy favourites here, and I can’t see past them winning and scoring at least a couple of goals in the process.

Marco Silva’s men claimed arguably the most eye-catching result of matchday one in the Europa League, securing a 2-0 win away to AC Milan. 

They’ve also made a reasonably strong start to their Primeira Liga campaign, winning six of their opening eight matches and scoring multiple goals in each of those victories, including each of their last three at home.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Lisbon heavyweights hit Hearts for six during Europa League qualifying at the Estadio da Luz.

Celtic picked up a morale-boosting 2-0 win away to Motherwell at the weekend, but were humbled 3-1 at home by Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener. 

The Hoops also conceded four goals in 90 minutes away to LASK Linz during Champions League qualifying, which does not bode well ahead of Thursday’s trip to Portugal.

While I’m expecting Benfica to win this one, I think Celtic are well worth siding with to earn at least four corners. 

Celtic are always one of my go-to teams in the corner market, and for good reason. 

Indeed, Celtic’s Scottish Premiership matches this season have produced an average of 13.25 corners, with the Hoops taking 9.38 per game.

Martin O’Neill’s men have comfortably reached the 4+ corner mark in each of their 8 league matches this season, while they racked up 11 corners in their home defeat to Ferencvaros. 

On top of that, they forced 4 flag kicks or more in both legs of their Champions League qualifier against LASK Linz.

The case is strengthened by Benfica conceding 10 corners away to AC Milan in their Europa League opener, as well as 6 in their home win against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the weekend.

Camilo Duran is undoubtedly Celtic’s biggest attacking threat, and he looks an attractive option to attempt 2+ shots.

The Colombian forward likes to try his luck whenever the opportunity arises, as he showed at the weekend by scoring from distance against Motherwell with one of his 3 attempts.

A closer look at his numbers shows that he has averaged a sizable 3.90 shots per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, attempting multiple efforts in 5 of his last 7 outings.

Notably, Duran also fired off multiple shots in both legs of Celtic’s Champions League qualifier against LASK Linz, scoring 2 goals in the home leg.

If Benfica find themselves in a comfortable lead, they may take their foot off the gas, which could open up more opportunities for Duran to get shots away.

I’m also backing Camilo Duran to be fouled at least once during this contest. 

Opponents regularly resort to fouling the Celtic ace, as shown by the number of free kicks he has won this season. 

Duran has drawn an average of 1.69 fouls per game in the Scottish Premiership this term and was brought down 4 times during Celtic’s recent home defeat to Rangers.

Even more encouraging is that he has been fouled 8 times across Celtic’s 3 continental fixtures this season, earning his side at least 1 free kick in each game.

Souffian El Karouani is not Benfica’s first-choice left-back, but he started away to AC Milan, so there is a chance he could return to the starting XI on Thursday night. 

The Moroccan committed a foul and was booked in that match, and he could have his hands full against Duran.

Camilo Duran is undoubtedly Celtic’s biggest attacking threat, and he looks an attractive option to attempt 2+ shots.

The Colombian forward likes to try his luck whenever the opportunity arises, as he showed at the weekend by scoring from distance against Motherwell with one of his 3 attempts.

A closer look at his numbers shows that he has averaged a sizable 3.90 shots per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, attempting multiple efforts in 5 of his last 7 outings.

Notably, Duran also fired off multiple shots in both legs of Celtic’s Champions League qualifier against LASK Linz, scoring 2 goals in the home leg.

If Benfica find themselves in a comfortable lead, they may take their foot off the gas, which could open up more opportunities for Duran to get shots away.

Sturm Graz have been an excellent team to target for corners this season, as they are averaging 11.7 across all competitions. This selection has landed in eight of their last ten matches overall, and the two misses finished on exactly nine corners. 

Bournemouth’s average of 9.4 corners is slightly lower, but their games have also been quite open, with chances typically available at both sides. The south coast side come into this clash as heavy favourites, but they have looked vulnerable in midfield. Alex Scott being out is also a massive blow, so Sturm Graz should find chances on the break.

Bournemouth have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League so far after six matches. They have picked up 18 yellow cards - only Hull have been carded more. That includes four yellow cards against Chelsea last time out. Even in the Europa League, there were six cards shown in Bournemouth’s round one fixture against Real Sociedad, with three apiece. 

Sturm Graz haven’t been as aggressive, but they are still averaging 3.73 cards per game across all competitions this season, with 2.0 for, and 1.7 against. The Austrian side have been awarded at least two bookings in each of their last seven consecutive matches across all competitions.

Rayan wasn’t very willing to track back defensively against Chelsea last time out, which left Tyler Adams and Ryan Christie exposed at Stamford Bridge. The American international struggled without his usual partner Alex Scott, and Adams accounted for five of Bournemouth’s 15 infringements - he eventually picked up a yellow. 

Adams has committed 13 fouls in five starts this season, landing this selection in four of those. That includes two fouls against Real Sociedad, despite being replaced after 63 minutes. His average of 2.69 fouls per 90 is comfortably the highest in the Bournemouth squad, highlighting a real willingness to get stuck into duels.

Paul Koller has contributed one yellow card to Sturm Graz’s tally this season, but the Austrian defender is perhaps lucky in that regard. He is averaging 1.53 fouls per 90, and has been one of the most consistent players in the Sturm Graz teams when it comes to committing fouls. Koller has landed this selection in six of his seven starts this season. That includes one foul against Rennes in round one of the Europa League. 

Koller will be matched up against Evanilson on Thursday night - the Brazilian is averaging 2.3 fouls drawn per 90 this campaign, and he has drawn multiple free-kicks in five out of seven starts in total.

Rayan scored Bournemouth’s second goal during their impressive 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad, marking his first Europa League appearance with a winning goal. The Brazilian international looks set for a massive role under Marco Rose this season, and he played centrally against Chelsea at the weekend in the absence of Justin Kluivert. 

The 20-year-old has recorded 18 shots across all competitions this season, with eight of those hitting the target. He has landed this selection in six of his eight appearances overall, and both of his goals this season have been when Bournemouth have played midweek. This looks like a favourable matchup to target Rayan again, as the Cherries should be able to carve out good chances against Sturm Graz.

Brighton have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch this season, and they have already been involved in some high-scoring encounters.

The Seagulls beat Aston Villa and Tromso by 4-0 scorelines at the start of the season, before putting five past Coventry and three past Arsenal. They maintained that momentum after the international break, scoring twice away against Sunderland despite being reduced to ten men.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side are massive favourites coming into this clash on the south coast, and they are expected to dominate the ball. Zalgiris are likely to be forced to defend deep, which is unnatural for them as they are used to battling at the top of their domestic division.

The Lithuanian side have scored 56 goals in 28 league matches this campaign, which shows how they can be dangerous going forward, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them contribute to the scorecard. Zalgiris went through four two-legged ties to eventually qualify for the Conference League, during which they saw an average of 9.88 corners per game. 

Hurzeler’s men have also been incredibly consistent when it comes to generating corners this season. They have recorded at least five corners in seven of their nine matches across all competitions, averaging 5.89 per game. That figure could rise after this matchup against Zalgiris, with Brighton expected to dominate possession and spend long spells on the front foot.

Jaouen Hadjam bagged his first goal as a Brighton player against Sunderland, despite only making a brief cameo off the bench.

The 23-year-old has made three appearances for the Seagulls since completing a move from Young Boys, so this is a good opportunity for him to start in his favoured left back position. Hadjam likes to get forward and join attacks, and he had an average of 1.1 shots per 90 last season in the Swiss Super League. 

With Brighton expected to control proceedings, there should be plenty of opportunities for Hadjam to get forward into the box, and he should be full of confidence after scoring at the weekend

Luka Vuskovic has recorded at least one shot in eight of his nine starts as a Brighton player this season, averaging 1.58 shots per 90.

Based on those figures, you wouldn’t guess that he is a centre back. Standing at 6’3, the Croatian international is a massive threat from set-pieces, and his only goal of the campaign has come from a corner.

However, he does also strike the ball cleanly, so he fancies his chances from range. Last season, he was the designated free-kick and penalty taker for Hamburg in the Bundesliga, and there should be plenty of opportunities for him to advance forward against Zaligiris on Thursday night.

Amine Benchaib is the player most likely to carry a threat for Kauno Zalgiris at the Amex. The Moroccan international bagged 15 goals in 32 league appearances last season, and he has played a key role in their European matches as well.

He has featured in all eight games, and has scored twice. One of his goals came from the penalty spot, which highlights the responsibility placed on his shoulders. 

Chances will be at a premium against Brighton, but Benchaib is most likely to make things happen in the final third, and a speculative effort from distance could be on the cards.

Milan have played four away games in Serie A this season, they've all seen BTTS.

Even in their 2-0 Europa League defeat to Benfica, they managed 17 shots and generated 1.03 xG.

Salzburg have scored 13 goals in four home league games, averaging almost 20 shots per match this season.

They also scored four goals in two Europa League qualifying matches.

To be fair, Salzburg have been pretty solid defensively too, conceding just twice at home.

But Milan have already shown they can create chances even against tough opposition.

They've scored in all four of their away games this season, at Torino, Juventus, Lazio and Sassuolo.

Adrien Rabiot has been in good form in the final third, with three goals and two assists already.

The Frenchman is expected to start and has been involved in 45% of the team's goals so far.

Real Sociedad have conceded nine goals in just four away games this season.

Union SG have scored 22 goals in eight Belgian league games, averaging more than 17 shots per match.

The visitors have scored seven goals in their four away trips, with both teams finding the net in three of them.

It's true that Union have been really solid at the back, conceding just one goal in four home league games.

However, they struggled when they came up against stronger opposition in Champions League qualifying, drawing 3–3 at home to Bodø/Glimt.

A Real Sociedad side sitting in La Liga's top six, scoring 1.50 goals per game in Spain's top-flight so far, will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet.

Hoffenheim have conceded 13 goals in their first five Bundesliga games, with BTTS landing in all of them.

Their defence is one of the main reasons they're sitting second from bottom, but things look a lot better going forward, especially at home.

They've scored six goals in three home games, taking at least 15 shots in each.

Besiktas have been involved in plenty of entertaining games too.

Both teams have scored in five of their last six matches, a run that includes impressive wins over Marseille (4–1) and Fenerbahçe (2–1).

One of the stars of that run has been Dušan Vlahović, who looks like he's getting back to his best.

The striker has scored six goals in his last five games, including a hat-trick.

With Hoffenheim creating plenty of chances but conceding goals regularly, and Besiktas enjoying such a good run in front of goal, it's hard to imagine this being a low-scoring game.

Both sides made winning starts to their Europa League campaigns, as Lyon beat Anderlecht 2-1 in Belgium, while Crystal Palace dismantled Lech Poznan 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Over 2.5 goals has landed in six out of eight matches for Palace this season, and their recent encounter against Nottingham Forest was particularly open. 

Lyon have also been an entertaining side to watch, especially when playing on home turf. Over 2.5 goals has landed in four out of their five matches, with BTTS in three of those. They came away with a 4-0 win over Rennes in their last outing at the Groupama Stadium, and a 3-1 victory over Auxerre before that.

Lyon are averaging 5.80 corners in their home games this season, clearing this line in four out of five overall. Paulo Fonseca sets his teams up to dominate possession, and they have been adept at generating chances in the final third. In fact, Lyon are averaging 17.4 shots per game, with 7.6 on target. 

Meanwhile, Palace just conceded 24 shots and eight big chances against Nottingham Forest. They were lucky to only concede once in the end, as the visitors managed 2.97 xG. Palace gave up eight corners in that match. The Eagles have allowed their opponents an average of 5.38 corners per game this campaign.

Ernest Nuamah is another player who has been adept at drawing contact, averaging 2.23 fouls drawn per 90. The Ghana international is always happy to receive the ball on the right wing, looking to drive at his marker. He often cuts inside onto his stronger left foot, which opens up shooting angles around the edge of the box. 

Nuamah bagged himself a brace against Rennes just before the break, which was his fourth goal of the season. He is averaging 2.97 shots per 90 across all competitions this campaign, and he has accrued ten shots in his last two home matches alone.

After Lois Openda suffered a fibula break against Lens last time out, Pavel Sulc looks set to be deployed further forward for Lyon. The Czechia international should deputise up front against Palace on Thursday night.

Sulc led the line for large parts of last season, when he had an average of 2.53 shots per 90. He showed impressive efficiency in front of goal, as 41% of his efforts hit the target, and he bagged 11 goals in the league. 

Sulc has recorded five shots from his four Ligue 1 starts this season, with three of those hitting the target. He also tested the goalkeeper against Lens last time out, despite Lyon suffering a 2-1 defeat.

Jefferson Lerma filled in at centre back at the weekend, and he looked really uncomfortable at times defensively. Chadi Riad remains out through injury, and Axel Disasi is serving a suspension.

However, the Frenchman is available to feature in Europe, and he should re-claim his starting spot on Thursday night. Disasi has committed a foul in three of his five appearances for Palace, including a straight red card against Ipswich after just 34 minutes. 

He will now have the tough task of trying to contain the Lyon attackers here. Corentin Tolisso usually plays in an advanced midfield role, and he is averaging 2.06 fouls drawn per 90.

Milan have picked up more yellow cards away from home than any other team in Serie A this season, with 11 in just four games.

And that number has been rising lately, with at least three bookings in each of their last three away matches.

It's a completely different story at home, where they've picked up just two yellow cards in three games this season.

Pavlović has been getting booked way more often since Rúben Amorim took charge.

The centre-back has already picked up four yellow cards in seven games, matching his total for the entire Serie A campaign last season.

The referee, Horațiu Feșnic, is pretty strict too. 

He averages nearly five yellows per game and has already handed out nine cards in his two Europa League matches this season.

Wouter Burger leads Hoffenheim with three bookings in just seven games.

That’s a higher rate than last season, when he picked up seven yellow cards across the entire Bundesliga campaign.

The referee is Lawrence Visser, who's shown 13 yellow cards in his last two Conference League matches.

And it’s not just the referee Burger needs to worry about.

Beşiktaş’ midfielders could cause him plenty of problems too.

Kökçü and Özcan are among the Beşiktaş players who get fouled the most, both averaging more than two fouls won per away game.

In their 4-1 win over Marseille in gameweek one, both of Beşiktaş’ starting central midfielders won three fouls.

Frankfurt fell to a 6-0 defeat against Leipzig in their first game back following the international break, which was a result that summed up how their season has gone so far.

Frankfurt have only managed to win one of their opening five games in the Bundesliga this season, netting nine goals across these games but also conceding 16 - which is the third highest tally in the division.

BTTS landed in both league meetings between these sides this season, with the most recent clash producing four goals as the sides played out a 2-2 draw with a combined xG of 5.81.

Koln saw BTTS in their first game back following the international break against Mochengladbach and have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches more widely.

Le Mans have been an entertaining addition to Ligue 1 this season and have actually managed to avoid defeat at home in 2026 with all four of their defeats this year coming away from home.

Le Mans have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches, most recently falling to a 3-1 defeat against PSG on the road. They’ve only managed to win one of their opening six games, but have carried a scoring threat across these games with 10 goals scored.

Toulouse have made an identical start to the season as their opponents here and have conceded 11 goals across their opening six matches in Ligue 1. Their three away games in the French top flight have produced 12 goals (4.0 per game).