FRESH KICKS has shown plenty of ability in four hurdle starts, including a Plumpton win. His subsequent 6th at Ascot wasn’t bad, considering he didn’t appear to stay the almost three-mile trip. A 4th over 2m4f last time indicated his turn may be near, and this represents a golden chance for a trainer who arrives in excellent form. Nicky Henderson and James Bowen teamed up with a well supported winner at Newbury yesterday.

ZOFFANDIA is an inconsistent type, who was last seen finishing 3rd over track and trip in October. The Zoffany five-year-old finished lame that day, so it was to his credit that he reached the frame. Considering his mixed profile, I would expect him to be pretty straight on this reappearance. He won this race last term, from a 3lb lower mark, but his rider claims a handy 5lb this time around. He may also be fired up here, sporting new headgear.

AL BAREZ is certainly one of the leading each-way protagonists, following a fair 4th course-and-distance last month. He could step forward from that effort, as it was his first run since October. He is also extremely well handicapped on old form, having been successful from a 12lb higher mark in the past. Today may prove to be the day when he capitalises on this reduced rating.

SOLARIZE was given a break, after a fine 5th in a stronger all-weather handicap over 1m4f at Southwell. The Masar colt had previously won a Wolverhampton handicap, from a 4lb lower handicap mark, ahead of a subsequent winner. I suspect that we haven’t seen the best of this unexposed type, who is likely to give a bold showing.

Camilo Duran is set to lead the line for Qarabag here, and he has been an effective player in the Champions League for the Azerbaijani side with four goals across his eight appearances in the competition.

He’s achieved this tally from 18 shots in total, working out to an average of 2.71 shots per 90. He’s had 2+ shots in each of his last five Champions League appearances, with one of those games seeing him have four shots.

Duran is Qarabag’s top scorer in the Champions League so far this season, and should be central to their efforts of causing an upset in this first leg clash. Newcastle haven’t looked secure away from home all season, with Eddie Howe’s side notably conceding 17 goals across their 13 away games in the Premier League.

Furthermore, Qarabag have proven to be quite a difficult side to beat at home with only one loss from their four home matches in the league phase - including holding Chelsea to a 2-2 draw with an xG of 1.63. Duran had two shots in that clash, and managed two efforts as Qarabag were thrashed 6-0 by Liverpool last time out. 

Lewis Hall is making a serious case to be involved in the England squad for the World Cup in the summer. Left back is a position that is far from settled in Thomas Tuchel’s mind, and with O’Reilly moving into midfield more often for Manchester City now - there could be room for Hall on the plane if he can maintain this level of performance, and stay fit.

Hall has drawn five fouls across just three starts in the Champions League this season, working out to an average of 1.32 per 90. This record is even more promising in the Premier League, where Hall is winning 1.66 fouls per 90. These promising foul won records are directly tied to how Hall likes to play; he’s very forward-thinking and expertly finds a way out of tight areas. He’s also deceptively strong, despite having a small frame, making him a tough player to knock off the ball.

He’ll be up against Leandro Andrade and Matheus Silva down his side of the pitch, who are combining to commit 1.59 fouls per 90 in the Champions League this season. Qarabag can be passive at times, but Newcastle are one of the strongest sides in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls, and Hall is an ideal candidate to be hauled down at least once here. 

Qarabag have been one of the most entertaining sides to follow in the Champions League this season, with six of their eight league phase matches seeing 3+ goals. They saw 3+ goals in both of their matches against English opposition, holding Chelsea to a 2-2 draw and being on the end of a 6-0 battering against Liverpool.

Qarabag have lost just one of their four home matches in the Champions League so far this season, with those games producing 17 goals (4.25 per game). I think Qarabag can contribute to the overall goal count, Newcastle haven’t been secure enough on the road this season, and I always think they look much weaker when Bruno Guimaraes is out of the side.

This is a free hit for Qarabag, and they will find it much more difficult to cause Newcastle problems in the away tie, so I think they will approach this first leg tie with a degree of freedom, which can see them get on the scoresheet, and encourage a high goal count overall. The league phase saw an average of nearly 4.0 goals per game, so this competition is the perfect one when it comes to backing goals.

Newcastle have won 40 corners across their eight league phase matches in the Champions League, working out to an average of 5.00 corners per game. 

It’s been a regular weapon in Newcastle’s armoury since Eddie Howe took over, and their numbers in the Premier League are just as appealing, with Newcastle averaging 6.92 corners per game. 

This stays pretty steady when looking at their away matches (6.38 corners per game), showing that Newcastle are still capable of a high corner count on the road despite their general form away from home. 

Only Bodo/Glimt (63) have conceded more corners than Qarabag (58) in the Champions League this season. This works out to an average of 7.25 corners per game, so it may be worth exploring higher lines for the Newcastle corner count in this clash, with it being a central part of Eddie Howe’s approach, and an obvious weakness in Qarabag’s game. 

Arsenal are strong favourites to do just that on Wednesday night, as it’s a top versus bottom clash in the Premier League. The Gunners have won each of their last nine head-to-head meetings against Wolves, although that record came under threat in the reverse fixture. 

After Tolu Arokodare equalised in the 90th minute, it looked like Wolves were about to snatch a point at the Emirates. However, Arsenal struck deep into stoppage time, leaving Wolves disappointed once again. As they have done so often this season, Arsenal were able to grind out the three points despite not being at their best, and they will hope to be more clinical on Wednesday night. 

Wolves have lost three of their last four Premier League games, and have taken just nine points from their 26 matches this campaign - they are 18 points adrift of safety, so have little to play for here.

The only game that Wolves didn’t lose in that stretch was against Nottingham Forest in their previous league outing.

However, Wolves had luck on their side. Forest racked up 35 shots worth 2.55 xG, but were somehow unable to find the back of the net. Jose Sa put in an exceptional performance in between the sticks, recording ten crucial saves. Forest also had eight corners in that game, and Wolves are conceding 6.15 corners per game on average in the league this term. 

Meanwhile, Arsenal are averaging 6.12 corners per game in the top flight this campaign, with that figure marginally rising to 6.42 when playing away. The reverse fixture saw Arsenal pick up eight corners, as they were easily able to sustain pressure and spend most of the game in their attacking third. Once again, Wolves are expected to sit deep, so Arsenal should be able to pile on the pressure.

After missing four games, Bukayo Saka was fit enough to play the first half of the FA Cup against Wigan at the weekend, but he is unlikely to be rushed back into first-team action, especially with Noni Madueke being in such prolific form. 

The 23-year-old took just 11 minutes to find the back of the net at the weekend, meaning he has now scored in back-to-back matches. Madueke is averaging 2.44 shots per 90 this season across all competitions, rising to 2.69 when playing away. He has landed this selection in five out of eight starts on the road, and now draws an excellent matchup midweek. 

Madueke bagged himself a hat-trick on his last trip to Molineux, which was as a Chelsea player last season. Once again, he should be looking forward to this matchup, especially considering how much Wolves have struggled this season.

Yerson Mosquera was responsible for the goal, which ultimately left Wolves empty-handed at the Emirates, as he nodded the ball into his own net. The Colombian international didn’t cover himself in glory, and will hope to atone for his mistakes on Wednesday night. 

The Gunners recorded 69% possession in that head-to-head game against Wolves, and registered just seven fouls as a team. However, Mosquera accounted for one of those infringements.

The centre back is averaging 2.12 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, which is incredibly high for a centre back. He has drawn multiple infringements in each of his last five matches across all competitions, highlighting a tendency to go down easily under soft contact.

Against a side like Arsenal, that trait could be useful. Wolves are likely going to have to endure wave after wave of attacking pressure, and buying cheap free-kicks at the back will allow them to momentarily establish some control over the game.