After City pumped Liverpool 3–0 earlier in the season, they meet again at Anfield, with City still chasing down Arsenal and Liverpool trying to break into the top four.

Despite some frustration among fans about Slot, he’s got them scoring. Liverpool have hit 2+ goals in each of their last four games, putting four past Newcastle, six against Qarabag, two v Bournemouth and three away at Marseille.

City come into this in slightly ropey form, but the goals are still there. They’ve scored in nine of their last 10 matches, while conceding in seven of those.

If the game goes how I expect, both teams will score, and I fancy an extra goal from either side. City can’t really afford to settle for a point here (unless Arsenal slip up, I’m writing this before their game).

As it stands, City are the league’s top scorers, while Liverpool have conceded as many or more goals than seven of the 14 teams below them.

At 2.00, when it should be 1.50, it's already value. The fact the research backs it up makes me love it even more. I'm all over it.

Bologna haven’t been at their best in recent weeks, but have an opportunity to get back to winning ways in Serie A against a Parma side that has been equally poor of late and is looking to pull themselves away from the relegation zone.

Bologna ran out 2-1 winners in the most recent meeting between these sides which took place back in December. That triumph was in the Coppa Italia, and Bologna were pretty dominant - ending the game with an xG of 1.91 from 16 shots, six of which managed to find the target.

Bologna also came away 3-1 winners in the initial league meeting between these sides, they were helped by a first half red card for Parma but still managed to rack up an xG of 2.72 from 22 shots overall.

Parma haven’t managed to gain much momentum on their travels in Serie A this season with just three wins from their 11 away matches this campaign. They’ve only scored seven goals across these fixtures, which is the second lowest total when compared to other sides on the road in Serie A this term.

Swansea aren’t quite completely clear of the drop zone in the Championship but do boast a seven point buffer at the time of writing which should be enough of a base from this point in the season to stay up in the second division of English football.

They welcome a Sheffield Wednesday side that have had a disaster campaign, both on and off the pitch, eventually leading to a points deduction which sees the away side still stuck on -7 points, having won just one of their 30 matches in the Championship this term. Unsurprisingly, Sheffield Wednesday have the worst away record in the Championship this season and have conceded 25 goals across their 14 away matches.

Swansea beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 win the sides met earlier on in the season in a comfortable victory which saw the Welsh side register an xG of 1.31 from 17 shots. Sheffield Wednesday never really found a way into this clash and ended up with just one shot on target.

There is currently a six point gap between Alkmaar and Ajax in the Eredivisie with the away side holding this advantage at the moment. This has the feel of a pivotal game for Alkmaar in particular, not only so they can close the gap to Ajax but also so they can put themselves in the conversation for a Champions League finish.

Alkmaar have seen BTTS in four of their last five matches across all competitions, most recently running out 2-1 winners at home over Twente. They’re at home again for this clash which is significant as they’ve only lost two of their 10 home games in the division, with these games producing 40 goals (4.0 per game).

It is also worth noting that Ajax have drawn six of their 10 away games in the Eredivisie this season, the joint most in the Eredivisie. These games have also produced high goal counts with 41 across the 10 away clashes (4.1 per game). Ajax have also seen BTTS in four of their last five matches across all competitions, promising an entertaining clash in the battle for Europe in the Eredivisie.

Juventus are one of two teams who are still unbeaten on home turf in the Italian top flight this season - their record of seven wins and four draws at the Allianz Stadium speaks volumes on how they are such a difficult side to beat. The Bianconeri have been a real force to be reckoned with since Luciano Spalletti took over, and they come into this clash having won seven of their last eight matches on home turf.

While Lazio present a tough matchup, Juventus have fared well against the top sides in Turin, beating the likes of Inter Milan and Roma, while they also secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Napoli in their last home outing.

Meanwhile, Lazio won’t be looking forward to this matchup, given that they have lost each of their last five matches against Juventus in Turin, by an aggregate score of 10-1.

With no Zach Charbonnet, and George Holani having only just returned from injury, there’s no real competition in the Seahawks backfield, so we’re set to see Kenneth Walker get a heavy dose of carries. The lack of Charbonnet is a big one and it’s worth noting that the Seahawks other running back opened the scoring in five games this season, which really underlines just how important the ground game is to this team.

In the Conference Championship game we saw Kenneth Walker with a two-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter and he had another strong performance. He’s going to continue to be a major player in this team and if the Seahawks score first, which I believe they will, it’s most likely to be him or Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The wideout is an excellent player and a key part of this offense but when the team are within five or 10 yards of the endzone, I’m very confident that they’re going to really focus on the run.

He started the season as a New Orleans Saint but since being traded to the Seahawks we’ve seen Rashid Shaheed carve out a niche on the team. He’s become the team’s Swiss-Army knife, a player with a unique skillset that can be utilised all over the field. He’s been a player that they’re looking to get the ball into the hands of, whether that’s on offense, where he’s been used as a rusher and a pass catcher, or on special teams.

With no Zach Charbonnet, there’s an increased chance of him being used in the ground game, and he can be absolutely lethal if they get him into the open field. His speed gives him game breaking potential as a deep threat and a 51-yard catch nearly saw him score in the win over the Rams last time out. In 11 games in Seahawks colours he’s scored three times, twice kick returning and once returning a punt. He’s a player that can do it all, and although he won’t get tons of carries or targets, his skillset means he could well be involved in key players, so expect OC Klint Kubiak to open his bag of tricks and get Shaheed in the mix.

The star man for the Seahawks in this incredible season has been Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The wideout has followed up a breakout sophomore season by turning in a year that cements him as one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL. He only needs 35 more receiving yards to hit 2,000 on the season and has huge volume, with 132 catches, an average of 6.9 per game.

He was key for the Seahawks in the Conference Championship game, seemingly always open, and he rewarded the team by catching 10 of 12 targets for 153 yards and a score. The team will be looking to replicate that and get the ball in his hands. That’ll start earlier, so expect him to get targets on the first drive. Given that he averaged 14.9 yards per catch across the whole season, he likely needs just one catch to hit this mark and record 10+ receiving yards on the Seahawks opening drive.

Crystal Palace saw their woes compounded at the weekend, as they wasted a prime opportunity to bring an end to their winless run. Nottingham Forest were reduced to 10 men just before half-time, with Neco Williams penalised for handball, allowing Ismaila Sarr to convert from the spot and level the scores. From that point on, it was largely one-way traffic, but Palace were unable to find a decisive breakthrough.

Despite Forest being forced to hand a debut to third-choice goalkeeper Angus Gunn following Matz Sels’ injury, the Eagles lacked conviction in the final third. They finished the match with 1.9xG and 67% possession, yet managed just three shots on target in total, one of which came from the penalty itself.

That result extended Oliver Glasner’s run to 12 games without a win across all competitions, losing seven in that run. Confidence looks fragile, and Brighton will aim to capitalise.

It might not look like a standard rivalry on the surface, but there is clearly some bad blood between these two sides. The M23 Derby has consistently produced plenty of flashpoints, with the last seven head-to-head meetings producing 36 yellow cards and three red cards in total. That averages out at 5.5 cards per game, underlining how these encounters can become quite heated.

Thomas Bramall’s average of 3.7 cards per game in the Premier League this season isn’t particularly appealing, but this matchup may test his tolerance. With both sides likely to be strong and aggressive in their challenges, he could struggle to keep a lid on proceedings and may be forced to resort to his notebook more often than usual.

When these teams last met at the Amex, five cards were shown, with four of those going to Crystal Palace. Over 3.5 cards has now landed in six of the last seven meetings.

Jan Paul Van Hecke has played his part in the poor disciplinary record between these two sides. He was booked when he faced Crystal Palace earlier this season, and was also sent off at Selhurst Park last campaign after picking up two bookable offences. Even in the reverse fixture at the Amex, he committed two fouls, but was able to survive the full 90 that time. Across his last three appearances against the Eagles, Van Hecke has registered a total of five infringements.

His average of 0.78 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season is nothing to write home about, but he has shown a tendency to raise his intensity in this particular matchup. There has also been a noticeable uptick in his fouls in recent weeks. The Dutchman has landed this selection in nine of his last ten starts, including three fouls against Everton last time out.

This will be Brennan Johnson’s first M23 Derby since completing his move to Crystal Palace at the start of January. The Welshman has shown a tendency to get stuck in for his new club, registering one foul on his debut against Newcastle, before committing four infringements against Aston Villa in the following game.

He is averaging 1.1 fouls per 90 for his new side, which is not too dissimilar from his return of 1.0 fouls per game for Spurs last season, when he was featuring more regularly. Since Ismaila Sarr returned to the starting eleven, Johnson has been shifted over to the left wing. If he starts there again, he could come up against Joel Veltman. The Dutchman is adept at drawing contact and is averaging 1.97 fouls drawn per 90 this season, making this an ideal matchup to target Johnson.

Hugo Ekitike has been superb for Liverpool this season, with his brace against Newcastle last time out taking his tally to 10 Premier League goals across just 15 starts in his debut season.

Ekitike is Liverpool’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, with Gakpo being second in this list, having netted five goals. Arne Slot’s side have had to rely on the former Frankfurt forward this term in the absence of Alexander Isak, who suffered an injury just as he was starting to find his feet.

Ekitike’s shot volume in the Premier League this season really stands out when looking to back him for a shot on target here. He’s had 51 shots across his 15 starts in the Premier League this season (3.42 per 90), with 17 of these attempts finding the target (1.14 per 90).

You could definitely argue that Ekitike should be more accurate with his efforts, but his willingness to take aim makes him a good player to back for a shot on target here. He’s had a shot on target in three of his last five Premier League starts, and managed four shots on target in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Newcastle last time out. 

Ekitike is priced as low as 1.13 for 2+ shots in this clash, so it’s better to go with him to have a shot on target from these attempts, rather than take that very low price.

Nunes has performed pretty admirably as a right back for Pep Guardiola, and his 1v1 battle against Cody Gakpo stands out to me here. Gakpo isn’t the first name you’d expect to see highly ranked in the foul charts, but he is quite aggressive and has committed 24 fouls across his 18 starts in the Premier League this term (1.36 per 90).

Only Hugo Ekitike (26) has committed more fouls for Liverpool in the Premier League this season than Gakpo, which gives us an insight into how Liverpool may approach this game, and where their fouls may be concentrated. Gakpo has committed a foul in three of his last five Premier League appearances, and will face a player in Nunes who has a solid record when it comes to drawing fouls.

Nunes has been fouled in four of his last five Premier League appearances for Man City, drawing 18 fouls across his 19 starts overall (0.92 per 90). Nunes was also fouled twice during the week in City’s 3-1 win over Newcastle to book their spot in the EFL Cup final. I think Gakpo will continue to be aggressive, and Liverpool won’t be afraid to press from the front given the issues that City are currently dealing with at the back.

I’d also explore some other angles for City defenders to be fouled given that Gakpo and Ekitike have been Liverpool’s most aggressive players this season. Marc Guehi is priced at 1.57 to be fouled here, which may also be a price worth considering.

We were interested in pro-Liverpool angles like Double Chance, but have taken Over 1.5 Liverpool Goals for some extra juice in the price. This is the longest leg of the bet builder, and we should certainly get a run for our money, with Liverpool as low as 1.13 in places to score over 0.5 goals.

City have conceded in four out of five in the league, with the only clean sheet in that run coming against Wolves. They had to take on a physical Newcastle side on Wednesday, while Liverpool have had a clear week.

The bet has landed in City’s last three away games - conceding two at Tottenham, three at Bodo/Glimt and two at Man United. Liverpool boast more in attacking areas than those three.

There have been cases in the last few years, where this encounter has fizzled out as both sides were content with a draw. Times have changed, both sides ideally need a win, Liverpool for the top four race, and City to stay in the title race. Arsenal should beat Sunderland on Saturday to go nine points clear of City.

The bet has landed in three of the last five Liverpool home league games, in the two exceptions, they posted 2.08xG and 3.18xG. They’re regularly creating opportunities to score 2+ goals at home.

Szoboszlai needs more help 1v1 than a proper right back. It can be on Gravenberch to cover for Szoboszlai when he bombs on, similar to what we saw for many years with Jordan Henderson filling in for Trent Alexander-Arnold. He committed three fouls against Newcastle last weekend, when Szoboszlai was at right back.

He may also be expected to be more aggressive off the ball because of Szoboszlai's absence from midfield areas, in looking to replace that energy. All three of his fouls were on the right half of the pitch. On Joe Willock (left of a midfield three) twice, and Harvey Barnes (cutting from left wing).

Gravenberch committed two fouls in Liverpool’s last meeting with City, while City have won 11 fouls per game on average this season (6th-most in the league).

Phil Foden averages 1.37 fouls won per 90, Tijjani Reijnders is at 0.82, Antoine Semenyo is at 0.65 - last season he won 1.04 (so expect that to increase), Rodri is at 2.1, and Nico Gonzalez is at 1.13. Not all of those players will be on the pitch at the same time, but they're very healthy foul-winning averages.

Luis Enrique has been carefully managing Ousmane Dembele’s minutes this season, but the Frenchman has typically been trusted to lead the line in the bigger games for PSG. Dembele played the full 90 in PSG’s last Champions League match against Newcastle, during which he racked up seven shots with two on target.

He was responsible for a missed penalty in that 1-1 draw, highlighting how he wasn’t exactly on top form, but the shot volume remained high, which is important. 

Across all competitions this season, Dembele is averaging 3.4 shots per 90, and this selection has landed in three of his last four starts, including three goals in that run. He managed three shots with two on target in his last meeting against Marseille, finding the back of the net in that one.

Dembele has a good record in the derby and has scored in his last two appearances against Marseille.

Despite cruising to a 3-0 win against Rennes in the Coupe de France last time out, Marseille still accumulated a total of 24 fouls, which translated to four bookings. They can be quite an aggressive side, and they are averaging 12.4 fouls per game across all competitions this season. 

PSG tend to dominate possession at the Parc-des-Princes, but this game promises to be closely contested. If Marseille look to establish a foothold in the game rather than sitting in a deep block, this game could get stretched at times, with space to exploit in midfield. 

Hojbjerg registered three fouls and was carded when these sides last met. He contested a total of nine duels, winning one of his three tackles. The 30-year-old is averaging 1.2 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, and should have plenty of defensive work to get through on Sunday night.

De Zerbi seems to have the blueprint on how to cause the Parisians problems, and this is expected to be another competitive matchup. Thomas Leonard officiated the Super Cup fixture between these sides, and he was kept busy.

There were six cards handed out in total, with four going to Marseille. This selection also landed when these sides met at the Velodrome Stadium, with three cards shown to Marseille. 

Marseille have accrued the sixth-most yellow cards in Ligue 1 this season, highlighting their aggressive approach under De Zerbi. They look to press high in an attempt to win possession back high up the field, but that can sometimes leave them vulnerable in transition and forced into making cynical tackles. 

Being a derby fixture, tensions are naturally going to be raised, especially as both teams have plenty to play for at the top of the standings.

PSG have been a formidable force on home turf in the French top flight this season, and they still have their unbeaten record intact. However, they haven’t been as convincing in the tougher fixtures - in the Champions League, they were beaten by Bayern Munich, and drew against Newcastle. The Parisians also conceded three times against Spurs back in November. 

Marseille are yet to play at the Parc-des-Princes this season, but these sides have already met twice, including in the French Supercup final. That game finished 2-2 in regular time, before Les Phoceens were beaten on penalties. Roberto De Zerbi’s men were incredibly unlucky to leave that game empty-handed, as they were pegged back by a 95th-minute equaliser from Goncalo Ramos. 

Marseille carved out 17 shots and four big chances, forcing five saves from Lucas Chevalier, in addition to their two goals. When these sides met in the league in September, Marseille were more successful and were able to hold on to a 1-0 win.

I’ve got to hold my hands up, when the season started I didn’t think either of these two teams would be here, but through the season I’ve changed my thoughts on the Seahawks, who have shown time and again that they’re a strong team. The Patriots also finished with a 14-3 record in the regular season but they had the weakest schedule in the entire NFL.

They only played four games against teams who made the playoffs and finished 2-2, which given that two of those teams were the Steelers and Panthers, is poor. In the playoffs they beat the Chargers and Texans, who are not Super Bowl calibre teams, and only just beat the Broncos, without their starting quarterback in the Conference Championship game. This is a team who are supremely overrated.

The Patriots offense can be a juggernaut, and they rank fifth in offensive DVOA but the Seahawks are just three spots behind them. However, the Seahawks rank top in defensive DVOA, 12 spots ahead of the Patriots. We just saw them do an excellent job against the Rams, and as the old adage goes “defense wins championships”.

The Seahawks backfield has been a two-headed beast this season with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet both getting a lot of playing time. As the season progressed Charbonnet seemed to take the lead in the pairing but an injury against the 49ers in the Divisional Round saw the entire backfield handed to Walker.

Walker has nine touchdowns on the season but four of those have come in his previous two playoff games. He rushed for three touchdowns in a monster performance against the Niners and scored an important TD against the Rams. The ground game is a huge part of the Seahawks identity and with Charbonnet managing 12 touchdowns before his injury, it’s clear that whoever is the lead back for this team will always have a high chance of scoring.

With 19 carries in each of his past two games and involvement in the passing game, we’re going to see Walker get plenty of opportunity and the 25-year old will likely score.

There have been some big receiving performances for the Patriots as they’ve reached this point but Hunter Henry has been surprisingly quiet. In the previous two games he’s caught just three passes for 17 yards. That’s quite a contrast with the rest of the season, and I’m fully expecting the Patriots’ tight end to get back to what he’s best at. He’s one of Drake Maye’s favourite targets and provides the Patriots with real size and dependable hands.

I’m taking this alternate line of his receiving yards, and fancy him to get 40+. Across the entire season, including his past two disappointing games, he’s averaged a solid 44.6 receiving yards per game. Not only that but he’s had 40+ yards in 10 of 19 appearances. The good news is that despite having a great defense, the Seahawks still allowed an average of 63.5 yards per game to tight ends in the regular season, the sixth most in the entire league.

He may only be a sophomore but Drake Maye fully deserves to be in the MVP conversation after an impressive season. As we’ve hit the business end of the season his performances have been a little more hit and miss in terms of passing, which concerns me against this defense. Instead, I’m looking to back on Maye’s other great asset, his legs. Even Matthew Stafford, a man who runs like he’s wading through a river, managed to rush for 16 yards on two attempts in the Conference Championship Game against the Seahawks.

The 23-year old has been a solid rusher when needed this year. Across the campaign he’s averaged 29.55 rushing yards per game, and an average of 4.7 yards per carry. How often a quarterback runs is obviously hugely dependent on the opponent that they’re facing and the situation in the game but with this being a big game, I’m expecting him to try and put the team on his back if needed. In three playoff games he’s had double digit carries twice, and has averaged 47 rushing yards per game.