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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).

Derby are hoping to end a wretched run of form when they welcome Stoke on Saturday afternoon, they’ve failed to win any of their last five matches - but have seen BTTS in four of these games.

Stoke have a much better form heading into this game having won three of their last four matches, with all four of these games seeing BTTS & No Draw. Stoke have only drawn one of their 10 games in the Championship this term, the joint lowest tally of any side in the division.

Derby have only drawn three of their 10 games in the Championship and have conceded 19 goals across these matches - only two sides in the Championship have conceded more goals than Derby in the early stages of this campaign.

Barnsley are really struggling at the moment, coming into this game having lost each of their last three games across all competitions - seeing BTTS & No Draw in all three matches.

Barnsley have only drawn one of their four home games in League One so far this season, netting four goals across these matches. 

Cambridge will be encouraged by their poor defensive record in front of their own fans, with Barnsley shipping eight goals at home - only five sides in the division have conceded more goals at home so far.

Cambridge enter this game having avoided defeat in each of their last five games, with two of these matches seeing BTTS & No Draw. 

They’ll be confident of claiming all three points here given the form of both sides ahead of this clash, but Barnsley have shown that they should have enough to get on the scoresheet.

I can see PSG picking up all three points in this one, but I wouldn’t be in a rush to back them for a clean sheet given their defensive record at the start of this season.

It’s no surprise that PSG have started the season quite slowly domestically, Luis Enrique has been very clever with his he manages the fitness of his squad so that they peak at the perfect time. 

PSG have seen BTTS & No Draw in four of their last five matches, winning all five of these games. That shutout they kept against Brest in this recent run is the only clean sheet that they’ve kept so far this season which matches up quite well with the fact that Strasbourg are without a clean sheet across their last 20 matches.

Strasbourg have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches, seeing BTTS & No Draw in four of these games. This selection landed in this fixture last season as PSG ran out 2-1 winners over Strasbourg back in February.

I’ve really not been that impressed with either of these backlines in the early parts of the season, and there should be enough attacking talent on display to punish those inconsistencies again at both ends.

Newcastle have kept just one clean sheet in the Premier League this season, with that shutout coming against a Tottenham side who still sit in the relegation zone. They conceded four goals at Coventry last time out and have seen BTTS & No Draw in each of their last three matches.

Villa have also only kept one clean sheet in the Premier League this season, and put six goals past Fenerbahce during the week in the Champions League. They’ve seen BTTS in four of their last five matches, with three of those games seeing BTTS & No Draw. 

Stockport come into this fixture having won each of their last three matches, winning two of these games to nil. They’ve started the season strongly overall, sitting third in the table having won five of their opening nine matches.

Stockport have won three of their five matches in front of their own fans, notably scoring 13 goals across these games - which is the second highest scoring tally of any side at home in League One this term, with the exception of Reading (14).

Bromley are struggling to adapt to the level of League One, winning just two of their eight matches. The 20 goals that Bromley have conceded in League One so far this season is the joint highest tally of any side, and it’s not like they’re scoring much either - netting just nine goals across their eight matches.

PSG played some of the best football I’ve ever seen at the Etihad on Wednesday night, coming away 4-2 winners in Manchester having found the target 10 times from their 15 shots in the clash.

That victory marks their fifth consecutive victory ahead of this fixture, following a slow start to the season which mirrors the sluggish start that Luis Enrique’s side made to last campaign.

Strasbourg are really struggling defensively at the moment having failed to keep a clean sheet across their last 20 matches. They’ve failed to win any of their last three games, losing each of the last two, and have conceded 12 goals across their six games in Ligue 1 (2.0 per game).

PSG came away 2-1 winners in this fixture last season, despite dropping down to 10 men for the final quarter of that game. I see them having far too much scoring power for Strasbourg here, who are struggling for consistency under Hugo Oliveira. 

Inter have scored 2+ goals in all but one of their Serie A games so far this season, with the exception of a 1-0 win away from home against Cagliari - that saw Inter generate an xG of 3.67 from 31 shots, suggesting that it should have been a more routine victory.

Inter are the top scorers in Serie A so far this season having netted 18 goals across their six games. They’ve won five of these matches, only dropping points to a high flying Roma side, but do have defensive vulnerabilities. 

Inter have conceded eight goals across their opening six games, which is why I’m leaning more towards backing them for 2+ goals rather than backing them for the win outright. They scored three goals on their trip here last season, but still didn’t get the three points with Bologna matching that tally.

Bologna have started the season poorly and have only managed to win one of their last five matches across all competitions. They haven’t won any of their three home games this term, and a visit from the league leaders is unlucky to improve that record.

Newcastle have kept just one clean sheet in the Premier League so far this season, with that shutout coming against Tottenham - who still managed to register 17 shots and an xG of 1.12.

Newcastle are far too open for me at the moment, it was evident again in their 4-1 defeat to Coventry last time out. Newcastle aren’t having many issues scoring themselves though, seeing BTTS in each of their last four Premier League matches.

Aston Villa come into this clash on the back of a brilliant midweek win in the Champions League over Fenerbahce, coming away 6-0 winners at Villa Park.  They have, however, seen BTTS in each of the four matches prior to that win - with Unai Emery’s side keeping just one clean sheet so far this term domestically.

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.

Both teams have scored in 6/6 Sassuolo league games this season. They've also conceded exactly two goals in every away game.

Their defence might be a concern, but scoring goals certainly isn't. Sassuolo average 19 shots and 2.05 xG per away game.

They've scored 10 goals so far, putting them among the league's top six attacks.

Frosinone have only conceded three goals in three home games, but their xGA at home is actually 2.05 per game.

That's pretty high, especially when you've got a team with Sassuolo's attacking capability coming to town.

Frosinone have generated over 1 xG in 2/3 home league games, posting 2.45 against Como and 1.49 against Venezia.

Encouraging numbers considering the chances that Sassuolo are giving away, and they've scored five goals across their three home games to this point.

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).

Motherwell’s poor form makes Kilmarnock worth considering to avoid defeat at Rugby Park on Saturday. 

The visitors have lost their last four Scottish Premiership matches and failed to win three of their four top-flight away games this season, with their only road success coming on the opening weekend.

Kilmarnock are bottom of the table, but Neil McCann’s side have started to show signs of life after a difficult start.

They have lost just once in their last four league outings, and even in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat away at Rangers, they created several chances.

Before that, Killie picked up a point at Aberdeen, won away to Hibs and came close to beating Hearts at home.

With their form improving and Motherwell struggling, the hosts look capable of taking something from this game.

There should be no shortage of goals when East Kilbride face Montrose in Scottish League One on Saturday. 

Both teams have been among the SPFL’s great entertainers this season, so over 2.5 goals looks an appealing option.

East Kilbride were involved in plenty of high-scoring games during last season’s promotion campaign, and this term has been no different. 

Indeed, 8 of their 10 league games this season have produced over 2.5 goals, including 4 of their 5 at home. 

Given the attacking intensity Mick Kennedy’s men play with, they are more than capable of covering the over 2.5 line themselves. 

They are also vulnerable at the back though, as shown by last weekend’s 2-2 home draw with Airdrie.

Montrose have been just as reliable, with over 2.5 goals landing in 9 of their 10 league games, including their win over East Kilbride in the reverse fixture in August.

A fascinating title race is developing in Scottish League One, and I’m keen to back league leaders Ross County to claim another victory away at Queen of the South in a game featuring over 1.5 goals.

The Staggies are setting the pace in the third tier and are one of only two teams still unbeaten in the SPFL this season, alongside fellow title challengers Hamilton. 

County sit above Accies thanks to their superior goal difference, having scored multiple goals in seven of their eight league victories. 

Their latest triumph was a resounding 5-0 win away at Montrose last weekend.

Queen of the South have beaten Cove Rangers and Peterhead in their last two league matches, but this will be a much tougher test. 

The Doonhamers were thrashed 8-0 by Ross County in the league last month.

I don’t expect a repeat of that scoreline here, but County can claim another win and score at least twice in the process.

Clyde look well placed to preserve their perfect home record in Scottish League Two by beating Annan on Saturday. 

The Bully Wee are joint top of the table and made it five home wins from five with a 2-1 victory over Dumbarton last weekend.

They will be confident of extending that run against an Annan side that are propping up the table.

Moreover, the Galabankies were thrashed 6-1 at home by Stranraer last weekend and have also lost their last three league games on the road. 

Each of those three away defeats came against a team currently fifth or lower in the table, which strengthens the case for Clyde to claim another home win.

Dumbarton tend to do their best work at home and look worthy of support on the double chance when they host Stirling Albion on Saturday.

All 12 points the Sons have earned this season have come at home, including victories in each of their last three matches at the Rock.

They also beat joint league leaders Clyde 2-1 in their first home game of the campaign.

Stirling have turned a corner recently with a couple of wins, but their only away success in the league came against bottom side Annan, and even that was a narrow 1-0 victory.

The Binos had lost each of their previous four away games prior to that success, including heavy defeats at Forfar and Elgin and a loss away to Edinburgh City in which they conceded seven goals.

Moreover, Steven Whittaker’s side have won just 3 of their 10 league matches this season, so it is difficult to see them claiming another victory against a Dumbarton side who have been so strong at home.

There should be no shortage of goals when East Kilbride face Montrose in Scottish League One on Saturday. 

Both teams have been among the SPFL’s great entertainers this season, so over 2.5 goals looks an appealing option.

East Kilbride were involved in plenty of high-scoring games during last season’s promotion campaign, and this term has been no different. 

Indeed, 8 of their 10 league games this season have produced over 2.5 goals, including 4 of their 5 at home. 

Given the attacking intensity Mick Kennedy’s men play with, they are more than capable of covering the over 2.5 line themselves. 

They are also vulnerable at the back though, as shown by last weekend’s 2-2 home draw with Airdrie.

Montrose have been just as reliable, with over 2.5 goals landing in 9 of their 10 league games, including their win over East Kilbride in the reverse fixture in August.

Clyde look well placed to preserve their perfect home record in Scottish League Two by beating Annan on Saturday. 

The Bully Wee are joint top of the table and made it five home wins from five with a 2-1 victory over Dumbarton last weekend.

They will be confident of extending that run against an Annan side that are propping up the table.

Moreover, the Galabankies were thrashed 6-1 at home by Stranraer last weekend and have also lost their last three league games on the road. 

Each of those three away defeats came against a team currently fifth or lower in the table, which strengthens the case for Clyde to claim another home win.

Thierno Barry is developing really well at Everton, I was keen to keep an eye on him when he arrived from Villarreal last summer and he took some time to find his feet in the Premier League but can definitely offer a real threat to Chelsea here.

Barry is Everton’s top scorer in the Premier League so far this season having netted three goals across his six starts. He netted eight goals across 21 starts last season, so he’s made a decent start and should be able to match if not exceed the tally from his debut campaign.

Barry has taken 22 shots across his six starts in the Premier League (3.92 per 90), seeing eight of these efforts find the target (1.43 per 90). He’s clearly playing with more confidence than he did last season, with a clear increase on the 0.66 shots on target he averaged throughout last campaign.

Morgan Rogers has settled into his new role at Chelsea really well, and is thriving with the setup of Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer alongside him in Chelsea’s front three.

Rogers has scored four goals across his six starts in the Premier League this season, most recently scoring Chelsea’s second goal against Bournemouth in a 5-1 rout - finding the back of the net after just three minutes in that game.

Rogers has taken 17 shots across his six starts in the Premier League (2.93 per 90), seeing six of these efforts find the target (1.03 per 90). Both Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer are notably shorter than Rogers to have an effort on target here, despite Rogers having very similar underlying numbers.

It’s now 22 games in the Premier League without a clean sheet for Chelsea after they conceded against Bournemouth last time out, and I can’t see them keeping out this Everton side on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea have conceded multiple goals in games against Leeds, Hull, Brighton, Brentford and Fulham which is a record to suggest that Xabi Alonso’s side have some very concerning underlying defensive issues which go beyond getting a bit unlucky at the back.

Chelsea have conceded the joint most goals of any side in the Premier League this season, shipping 13 goals across their six games. Seven of these have been conceded in their away games as well, they’ve only managed to win one of their three games on the road so far. 

Everton have scored five goals across their three home games so far, avoiding defeat in all three games. They’ve avoided defeat against Chelsea in each of the last three head to head meetings in the Premier League with Everton as the home side, coming away 3-0 winners last season. 

James Tarkowski is seriously good at winning fouls for a centre back and is at a nice price to be hauled down at least once here having drawn 10 fouls across his six starts in the Premier League so far (1.67 per 90).

That record puts Tarkowski in the 89th percentile when compared to other centre backs in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls. He was fouled once in this fixture last season, and was also hauled down once in Everton’s defeat at Stamford Bridge during the 25/26 campaign.

Tarkowski will be in a battle with Joao Pedro, who has committed five fouls across his five starts in the Premier League so far this season (1.04 per 90) and should engage in an entertaining battle with the Everton centre back that sees Tarkowski fouled at least once.

Looking at this game, one player that fills me with excitement is Fer Lopez.

The Spaniard has impressed this season after a tough first campaign for Wolves where he had little impact.

So far, Lopez has netted four goals and claimed two assists. He’s been one of the division’s best players and on ability, he may well be the best.

He is Wolves’ top scorer and his eight shots on target is the most in the squad - an average of 1.10 per 90 minutes.

He’s had at least one shot on target in four of his last five starts.`

With Lopez’ ability, flair and ability to impact the game, naturally, he becomes a bit of a target for the opposition and he’s drawn 14 fouls this season, the second-most in the squad behind Mateus Mane.

That works out at an average of 1.77 times per 90 minutes.

He’s been fouled in seven of nine starts this season and drew three in midweek against Bolton.

Two of Burnley’s central midfield players - Laurent and Hatate average some of their highest fouls committed numbers at 1.41 and 1.39, respectively.

The Brazillian midfielder is fantastic. Incredibly industrious, aggressive and always looking to win the ball back and get Wolves on to the front foot.

That aggression and tenacity does lead itself to a high foul count though and his 15 fouls is the most in the Wolves squad, an average of 1.81 per 90 minutes.

In tough games, we’ve seen some big foul counts. He made two against West Ham as well as four against each of Sheffield United and West Brom. 

Laurent, Hatate, Mejbri and Raghouber, who all operate centrally, have drawn the three highest foul counts for Burnley.

Krejci is clearly a player who could cut it at the level above. He’s been a bit in and out this season but started in midweek and played the full 90 minutes.

He’s made five fouls across his three Championship appearances, with midweek being the first game without one.

He will likely come into contact with those central players that were mentioned before and he’ll need to marshall veteran striker Jamie Vardy.

Krejci’s fouls can often come at the other end. He is excellent in the air and is a target for Wolves from set pieces, but he can get a little bit overzealous in his attempts to win the ball.

Pedro Neto has been playing in a slightly unfamiliar position under Xabi Alonso this season, at right wingback. He is given more of a defensive responsibility than he might like, meaning he has recorded a foul in four out of five starts this season across all competitions, including two fouls against Brentford. 

This weekend, he will draw the matchup of Jack Grealish, and that is a battle to keep an eye on. The English international is averaging 3.58 fouls drawn per 90 this season across all competitions, and he has drawn multiple fouls in all three starts. Grealish is one of the best players in the league at drawing contact, which makes this price stand out.

Sasa Lukic has committed 14 fouls in six Premier League appearances this season since arriving at Portman Road from Fulham. In fact, he has committed more fouls than any other player in the Premier League this season.

Lukic has landed this selection in each of his last three consecutive league starts, with exactly three fouls against Crystal Palace, Everton and his former club Fulham, respectively. 

Man City are expected to dominate possession at the Etihad this weekend, which will give Lukic plenty of defensive work to get through. The Serbian international will have to deal with the likes of Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku, so it's an incredibly tough matchup.

Josh King is averaging 1.37 fouls drawn per 90 for Fulham this season, which is one of the highest figures in the squad, and there is every reason to expect that figure to rise this weekend.

Hull travel to Craven Cottage with the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League - they have picked up 20 yellow cards in just six league matches. The Tigers are aggressive in their press, especially in midfield, and Josh King will be directly up against Matt Crooks this weekend.

The 32-year-old was booked against Everton last time out for a late challenge on Grealish. He has now picked up four yellows in just five appearances this season, averaging 2.19 fouls per 90.

Victor Munoz is expected to return to the starting eleven on the ring wing for Liverpool this weekend, as Andoni Iraola still has to contend with injuries to several key players.

Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike are injured. Munoz has looked sharp when he has played, always looking to make a positive impact when he gets the ball. The Spaniard has won 11 free-kicks in eight appearances across all competitions this season, averaging 2.5 fouls drawn per 90. 

He will be up against El Hadji Malick Diouf this weekend - the fullback is still getting used to life at Brentford after joining from West Ham over the summer. He committed four fouls against Aston Villa last weekend, and this looks like another difficult matchup for him.

Nico Gonzalez made his return to the starting eleven for Newcastle last weekend, after recovering from injury. The former Man City man played the full 90 as Coventry won 4-1, and Gonzalez committed two fouls.

He has landed this selection in four of his five starts as a Newcastle player, with the only failure coming against Leeds when he was withdrawn after 19 minutes with an injury. 

Gonzalez is averaging 3.37 fouls per 90 this season. He also recorded an average of 1.74 fouls per 90 across all competitions for Man City in the previous campaign, which is impressively high considering how they typically dominated possession. Gonzalez will now be directly up against Johan Manzambi here - he is averaging 2.13 fouls drawn per 90 since arriving from Freiburg.

Thierno Barry is developing really well at Everton, I was keen to keep an eye on him when he arrived from Villarreal last summer and he took some time to find his feet in the Premier League but can definitely offer a real threat to Chelsea here.

Barry is Everton’s top scorer in the Premier League so far this season having netted three goals across his six starts. He netted eight goals across 21 starts last season, so he’s made a decent start and should be able to match if not exceed the tally from his debut campaign.

Barry has taken 22 shots across his six starts in the Premier League (3.92 per 90), seeing eight of these efforts find the target (1.43 per 90). He’s clearly playing with more confidence than he did last season, with a clear increase on the 0.66 shots on target he averaged throughout last campaign.

Enzo Fernandez has quickly established himself as a starter in the Man City midfield alongside Elliot Anderson, following his summer move from Chelsea.

The Argentine international is given more attacking freedom in that pairing, and he has landed this bet in his last four starts. 

Fernandez is averaging 2.13 shots per 90 across all competitions as a Man City player, and he also found the back of the net against Sunderland just before the international break.

Enzo Maresca knows how to get the most out of Fernandez, having managed him at Chelsea, and City come into this clash against Ipswich at the weekend as massive favourites. If the visitors sit deep, Fernandez will be able to play more advanced than usual.

Ryan Sessegnon got on the scoresheet against Ipswich last time out, with a wonderful strike from the edge of the box. However, his efforts were in vain as Fulham squandered their advantage to lose 2-1. Sessegnon started in place of Antonee Robinson who suffered a minor injury whilst training, and he is unlikely to be rushed back into first team action. 

Sessegnon recorded three shots against Ipswich last time out, and two efforts against AFC Wimbledon in his only other start of the season. He is an attack-minded fullback who likes to contribute going forward, and this matchup against Hull looks like a good one.

Johan Manzambi has settled in really well to this Villa side, registering four goal contributions across just five appearances. 

His most recent involvement came during the week against Fenerbahce, scoring from his two shots as Villa recorded a 6-0 win in the Champions League.

Manzambi scored his first Premier League goal in Villa’s win over Tottenham in North London a few weeks ago and has taken 11 shots already across just two starts in the English top flight (5.35 per 90).

Manzambi has seen three of these efforts find the target (1.46 per 90). He also scored five goals across 26 starts in the Bundesliga last term, notably averaging 2.19 shots per 90.

Hull started the season with successive victories, but since then they have failed to win any of their last five matches across all competitions. Their form has dipped a bit, so both sides come into this clash under a bit of pressure to win. The Tigers most recently drew 2-2 against Everton, and there were 13 corners in that match. The hosts accounted for seven of those. 

Hull are averaging 10.5 corners per game this season, rising to 11.4 when playing away where this selection has landed in each of their last three straight matches. Meanwhile, Fulham are averaging 10.4 corners per game, so an even game is expected at Craven Cottage this weekend.

Oli McBurnie and Matt Crooks found their way into the referee’s notebook against Everton last time out, meaning Hull have landed this selection in all six of their Premier League matches this season. In fact, the Tigers have picked up 20 yellow cards, which is more than any other side in the division. 

Sergej Jakirovic likes his players to be strong in their tackles, and compete for second balls to make life hard for their opponents. So far, that approach has been successful in the top flight, with Hull currently sitting eighth, so there is no reason for it to change.

McBurnie was shown a yellow card for an incident with James Tarkowski last weekend, which was his third booking of the season in just six appearances.

The centre forward is incredibly aggressive in his approach up front, always looking to make life difficult for opposing centre backs, and he is averaging 1.69 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season. 

Hull often look to play direct to him, which should bring Calvey Bassey into the game here. The centre back is averaging 1.11 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, and he has landed this selection in five out of six starts overall.

After scoring in his first two appearances as a Fulham player, Gonzalo Garcia has been on a bit of a barren run recently, failing to score in any of his last six appearances.

However, his output has remained high in those games - he is continuing to pop up in dangerous positions, which means a goal cannot be too far away for the former Real Madrid man. 

Garcia is averaging 3.74 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, and he recorded two shots on target against Ipswich last time out.

Hull have been one of the leakiest defensive units so far, conceding an average of 13.5 shots per game across all competitions, with 4.5 of those hitting the target. 

Mohamed Belloumi was benched against Chelsea last weekend, which was confirmed to be only due to fatigue after returning from the international break, but it didn’t take long for him to make a difference.

The Algerian international scored Hull’s equalising goal, taking his tally to three goals from six Premier League appearances this season.

Belloumi should return to the starting lineup at Craven Cottage, where he is expected to operate from the right wing.

He is averaging 2.90 shots per 90 in the Premier League so far, which is the highest figure in the Hull squad, and he has landed this selection in five of his six starts.This matchup against a winless Fulham side looks like a favourable one.

While I’m backing Barcelona to win on Saturday night, I’m less convinced they will keep a clean sheet, which makes both teams to score an appealing option. 

Hansi Flick’s side play with real attacking intent and a high defensive line, which can leave them vulnerable at the other end. 

That has already been evident in La Liga this season, with both teams scoring in four of Barcelona’s eight victories, including each of their last two on their travels.

The same was true in each of their two Champions League wins this season so far. 

They will be coming up against a Real Betis side who have scored in each of their eight matches in the Spanish top flight this season, including at home against Real Madrid.

Moreover, BTTS would have been a winning selection in three of the hosts’ last four league games, including a 5-2 win over Osasuna last weekend.

Further encouragement comes from the fact that both teams have scored in each of the Green-and-Whites’ two Champions League games this season, with both matches producing over 4.5 goals.

Lamine Yamal regularly attracts plenty of attention from opposition defenders, so I’m backing him to be fouled at least twice against Real Betis on Saturday night. 

The Barcelona superstar is drawing an average of 1.61 fouls per game in La Liga this season.

A closer look shows that he has been brought down six times across his last three appearances, including twice during Barcelona’s most recent away game at Sevilla.

Yamal is also likely to come up against Real Betis left-back Fran Garcia, who committed 2 fouls at home to Osasuna last week. 

He was also penalised twice in the Green-and-Whites’ home game against Real Sociedad earlier in the season.

Garcia may have committed just one foul against Porto on Wednesday night, but his 5 tackles suggest he was kept busy defensively. 

You would expect his defensive workload to increase when he comes up against a player of Yamal’s calibre on Saturday night.

The Brazilian winger has always been a shoot-on-sight merchant, and this season has been no different.

The Betis forward has averaged a whopping 5.34 shots per game in La Liga this season, firing off multiple efforts in six of his eight appearances to date.

His habit of pulling the trigger has been just as evident in the Champions League, with Antony recording 10 shots across Real Betis’ opening two games. 

As already touched on, Barcelona are prone to lapses in concentration, while their attack-minded approach should leave space for Real Betis to exploit on the counter-attack.

With that in mind, I think Antony is a prime candidate to get at least two shots away during this contest.

A trip to Real Betis will arguably be Barcelona’s toughest test of the season so far, but I think the Catalan giants can come out on top.

Hansi Flick’s star-studded side have made a stunning start to their title defence, winning each of their opening eight league games and scoring a remarkable 34 goals in the process.

They have also hit the ground running in the Champions League, thrashing Feyenoord 5-1 before claiming a 4-1 victory away at Galatasaray in midweek.

While Real Betis are notoriously tough to beat at the Benito Villamarin, Barcelona have triumphed there in league duty in eight of the last nine seasons, including a 5-3 success last term.

It is also worth pointing out that the Green-and-Whites have a shorter turnaround than Barcelona after putting plenty of effort into coming from behind to claim a 3-2 home win over Porto on Wednesday night.

I think the extra day’s rest could also swing the balance in Barcelona’s favour here.

Newcastle have kept just one clean sheet in the Premier League so far this season, with that shutout coming against Tottenham - who still managed to register 17 shots and an xG of 1.12.

Newcastle are far too open for me at the moment, it was evident again in their 4-1 defeat to Coventry last time out. Newcastle aren’t having many issues scoring themselves though, seeing BTTS in each of their last four Premier League matches.

Aston Villa come into this clash on the back of a brilliant midweek win in the Champions League over Fenerbahce, coming away 6-0 winners at Villa Park.  They have, however, seen BTTS in each of the four matches prior to that win - with Unai Emery’s side keeping just one clean sheet so far this term domestically.

Johan Manzambi has settled in really well to this Villa side, registering four goal contributions across just five appearances. 

His most recent involvement came during the week against Fenerbahce, scoring from his two shots as Villa recorded a 6-0 win in the Champions League.

Manzambi scored his first Premier League goal in Villa’s win over Tottenham in North London a few weeks ago and has taken 11 shots already across just two starts in the English top flight (5.35 per 90).

Manzambi has seen three of these efforts find the target (1.46 per 90). He also scored five goals across 26 starts in the Bundesliga last term, notably averaging 2.19 shots per 90.

Aston Villa have been the most fouled side in the Premier League since Unai Emery took the job, spanning the better part of the last three seasons.

This is directly linked to the profile of players that Villa have picked up over the last few seasons, as well as the style that Unai Emery wants his side to play - where the fullbacks are usually the ones to offer the width.

Cash has won eight fouls across his four starts in the Premier League already this season (1.86 per 90) and his heat map in the early part of this campaign shows that he regularly pushes up into more advanced areas and basically hugs the touchline to ensure that Villa have an outlet in wide areas.

Cash is likely to be up against Harvey Barnes here, who can be a bit lazy with his challenges - which is to be expected for a forward. He’s committed five fouls across his six starts in the Premier League this season (0.83 per 90).

Joao Gomes has a bit of a rocky start to life at Villa, picking up an early red card in Villa’s opening Premier League game of the season against Brighton - one of three cautions he’s already picked up in limited appearances for Unai Emery’s side.

Gomes is one of the most aggressive players in the Premier League, he’s committed five fouls across his three starts in the Premier League so far this season (2.08 per 90) and maintained an average of 2.19 fouls committed per 90 across 32 starts in the top flight for Wolves last term.

Gomes will be in a constant tangle with Yoanne Wissa here, who is preferred in a role just behind a central striker by Mathias Jaissle. He’s won 12 fouls already this season (2.08 per 90), making him the perfect opponent to tempt Joao Gomes into committing a few fouls. 

Brentford have been one of the most efficient sides going forward this campaign, and they have scored in all six Premier League matches.

They came away with a hard-earned point at Villa Park last time out, as it finished 2-2. That game summed up Brentford’s games so far this season - they have been quite open, with chances usually available at both ends of the field. Villa recorded 20 shots with seven on target, while the Bees managed 14 shots themselves. 

Even with key attackers missing, Liverpool will fancy their chances of at least getting on the scoresheet this weekend, but keeping this in-form Brentford side out will definitely prove to be a challenge.

Brentford had the upper hand in this matchup last season, as they won 3-2 at home, before securing a point at Anfield in the reverse fixture. That game finished 1-1, and there were 16 corners. 

Brentford are averaging 10.1 corners per game this season across all competitions, rising to 11.0 when playing at home. Keith Andrews’ side are perhaps one of the strongest in the league when it comes to set-pieces, so they will try to get to the byline at every opportunity. 

Liverpool have also been effective at clearing this line so far, as they have seen at least ten corners in five of their last six matches across all competitions.

It has been a slow start to the season for Igor Thiago after he bagged 22 league goals in the previous campaign. The Brazilian has only scored once, but that came against Chelsea at home just before the international break, and this promises to be a very similar matchup. Thiago’s output has remained consistent, and he is averaging 2.67 shots per 90 across all competitions so far, which is a positive sign. 

He had no trouble landing this bet against Liverpool last season, as he accounted for four of Brentford’s 17 shots, with three of those hitting the target. He even managed to find the back of the net, so he should be looking forward to this matchup.

In addition to his goal, Igor Thiago was also booked in that match. He is a physical presence up top for the Bees, and he is averaging 1.41 fouls per 90 this season, with eight fouls in his last three starts alone. He has also picked up a yellow card in each of those matches. 

Brentford like to play direct up to their striker, which means Jeremy Jacquet should see plenty of involvement, and duels against Igor Thiago. Jacquet has landed this selection in four out of six Premier League starts for Liverpool this season, with a total of five fouls drawn. He is more willing to step forward to contest duels, which makes this price appeal.

Milos Kerkez has been one of Liverpool’s most ill-disciplined players this season, averaging 1.65 fouls per 90, which has translated to three yellow cards in seven starts across all competitions. The Hungarian international defends aggressively, and he has been a bit rash in his tackles at times. 

Kerkez struggles when matched up against more technical wingers who like having the ball at their feet, and he will play on the same side as Jaidon Anthony this weekend. The Brentford winger has been fouled three times in his last two starts alone. Michael Kayode also likes to contribute in the final third with overlapping runs, and he is averaging 1.27 fouls drawn per 90 this season.