Tips Hub

Don’t need to say much here, the guy is a freak.

He’s scored 25+ goals in three of his four seasons in the Premier League. 

Only Haaland (24) scored more non-penalty goals in the Premier League than Semenyo (16) last season.

He’ll be one of City’s biggest goal threats away from Erling Haaland with there being a 10 goal gap between Semenyo and City’s next biggest scorer in Foden last season.

Semenyo has been in very good form during pre-season, registering an assist in all three of his appearances. He’s also spoken about enjoying his role under Maresca and he should continue to be a threat in front of goal. 

Morgan Gibbs-White finished last season with his best ever goal tally in the Premier League, netting 15 goals across his 35 starts with only one of these goals coming from the penalty spot.

This tally was nine more goals than Forest’s next top scorer in Igor Jesus - so we can expect Gibbs-White to be an influential player in front of goal for Forest again this campaign with Chris Wood likely to be absent for the start of the season.

Gibbs-White should have extra motivation this season too after being left out of the England squad over the summer, and has plenty of creative teammates to fashion him chances. 

Bryan Mbeumo ended last season as Manchester United’s joint top scorer in the Premier League with 11 goals to his name.

He’s a proven goalscorer in the division having reached double digits in each of the last two campaigns - including a 20 goal haul in his final season at Brentford.

Manchester United also play in a way that really suits Mbeumo with Carrick wanting his side to play in transition, making the most of the speed Mbeumo has when running in behind. 

Morgan Rogers has made the move from Villa to Chelsea over the summer in a big money transfer which carries a lot of expectation.

Rogers has scored 14+ goals across all competitions in each of his last two seasons with Aston Villa and his output should improve further now that he has the likes of Palmer and Joao Pedro around him.

Rogers’ shot volume has steadily increased over the last two campaigns and he should get plenty of chances as part of an exciting Chelsea attack guided by Xabi Alonso.

Middlesbrough came within inches of promotion to the Premier League last season after losing out to Hull City in the Championship play off final a few months ago.

They look well prepared for another attempt at earning promotion to the top flight having added to their already impressive squad with the likes of Lankshear and Vitek as key signings.

Middlesbrough only lost five of their 23 home matches in the Championship last season, notably only conceding 18 goals across these games - only Ipswich (17) conceded fewer goals at home than Middlesbrough in the Championship last season.

Lincoln did very well to earn promotion from League One last season but there is a sizeable gap in quality between their squad and the sides expected to be competing at the top of the table in the Championship.

I’d expect any success that Lincoln do get in the Championship this season to be in front of their home fans with Boro notably being the shortest of any side in the EFL to register a victory on the opening weekend.

These sides faced off back in February as Bradford came away 2-0 winners over Peterborough in a really dominant performance.

Bradford registered an xG of 3.79 from 29 shots on that occasion, limiting Peterborough to just four shots and an xG of 0.64. 

Bradford were very tough to beat at home in League One last season, losing just three of their 23 matches in front of their own supporters. 

Bradford only conceded 17 goals across these games, only Stevenage conceded fewer goals than Bradford at home in League One last season (13). 

By contrast, Peterborough really struggled on the road in League One last term - winning just seven of their 23 away games. They didn’t really have a base level of performance to fall back on either, drawing just two of these games and losing 14.

Burton are in crisis, they’ve admitted to 28 FA breaches, lost key players and are the bookies’ favourites to be relegated to League Two.

They host a Stevenage side that finished in the play-offs last season.

It was a huge achievement and they’re unlikely to repeat it, but they’re head and shoulders more reliable than Burton.

Alex Revell has given Stevenage a clear identity, an uncomplicated way of playing which is tough to play against and makes them more than the sum of their parts.

They finished 11 places and 21 points above Burton last season, and the Brewers have only gone backwards this summer.

Stevenage just need to avoid defeat to get this selection up.

York fans were chanting sacked in the morning at new manager Scott Lindsey in his first game in charge.

A 2-0 defeat to his former side Crawley in the League Cup.

York are fancied to go well on their return to the EFL, but they begin the campaign by hosting, second-favourites for the title, Bristol Rovers.

Rovers put together an eight-game winning streak at the back end of last season, as Steve Evans steadied the ship and pushed them into mid table.

He recently took Stevenage from a League Two relegation battle to the cusp of the League One play-offs in a two-year period and he could have a similar impact with the Gas.

It won’t take long for this to get toxic if York don’t start well, and, in Rovers, we should have one of the best teams in the league onside, the bet wins if York don’t win the game.

Bolton were a really entertaining team to watch in League One last season and should still see plenty of goals in their games now that they have made the step up to the Championship.

I expect Bolton to battle in the bottom half of the Championship this term as a newly promoted side, but they can definitely cause surprises and be an awkward side to play in front of their own supporters.

Bolton scored 46 goals at home in League One last season (2.0 per game), only the two automatically promoted sides in Cardiff (50) and Lincoln (53) scored more goals at home than Steven Schumacher’s side.

Preston saw 2+ goals in their first round game of the EFL Cup as they progressed on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time. Their away fixtures saw an average of 2.56 goals per game in the Championship last term.

I think we’re going to see Leicester caught out at the back quite often in the early parts of their League One campaign as the Foxes attempt to implement the style of Russell Martin.

Martin is very stubborn when it comes to his style of play, he wants his team to build out from the back and focus on long passing sequences which suffocate the opposition.

This means that Leicester will have a lot of the ball, but a lot of this possession will be in their own half - or even around their own penalty area, making them vulnerable to mistakes.

Notts County held Burnley to a 1-1 draw in their EFL Cup first round game last time out, eventually bowing out on penalties. 

They earned promotion from League Two last season, notably scoring 45 goals across their 23 home matches (1.95 per game). No side scored more goals at home in League Two last season than Notts County.

MK Dons are heavily fancied to be competitive at the top end of League One this season having earned promotion from League Two with an 86 point haul.

MK Dons boasted the best away record of any side in the division in last season, losing just four of their 23 matches and netting 45 goals in the process - more than any other side in the division on their travels.

Oxford have dropped down from the Championship after losing out on the relegation tussle which formed across the final few weeks at the bottom of the table. They only won seven of their 23 home games, but did manage to score 24 goals across these matches - giving both sides enough of a base to get on the scoresheet. 

I really like how Luton are progressing under Jack Wilshere and the momentum they had towards the end of last season looks to have carried over with the away side running out 3-0 winners in the first round of the EFL Cup against Gillingham.

Luton went on an unreal run towards the end of last campaign, avoiding defeat in all 12 of their matches since the 10th March. They won nine of these games as well, so Wilshere is clearly building a very capable side for this level which has been bolstered by some smart business.

Reading finished 11 points below Luton in League One last season and only managed to win 10 of their 23 home matches. Luton have plenty of firepower on the road too, having scored 31 goals across their 23 away matches in League One last season - avoiding defeat in 13 of these games. 

Rochdale’s promotion from the National League was one of the stories of the year last season after a gruelling battle with York that saw both sides finish on 100+ points.

Rochdale missed out on automatic promotion despite this impressive tally, but navigated the playoffs to earn promotion to the EFL after beating Boreham Wood in the final on penalties.

Rochdale scored 40 goals across their 23 away matches in the National League last season (1.73 per game) and face off against a Newport side that only avoided the drop by four points in the end after a poor campaign.

Newport conceded 37 goals at home in League Two last season (1.60 per game), only Harrogate Town - the side with the worst home record in the division - conceded more goals than Newport in front of their own supporters (38).

Both of these sides suffered bruising defeats in the first round of the EFL Cup last time out with Oldham falling to Stoke in a 2-0 defeat while Port Vale lost 3-0 to Wolves on the road.

Oldham had a decent season last term, finishing 10 points adrift of the playoff spots in the end - but they were in the race at points during the campaign. Their 23 home games produced 48 goals (2.08 per game) and they face a Port Vale side who have dropped down from League One.

Port Vale conceded 36 goals on the road in League One last season (1.56 per game) and may find this an awkward test as they attempt to bounce back into League One at the first time of asking.

This bet landed the last time that all of these sides faced off, I’m backing it to happen again on the opening weekend of the EFL. 

I’ve managed to get a nice boost on this selection as well, you won’t get these odds anywhere else. 

Bristol City v Millwall 

Last meeting -

Millwall 2-1 Bristol City ✅
9 corners ✅
5 cards ✅

Norwich v West Brom 

Last meeting - 

Norwich 3-1 West Brom ✅
15 corners ✅
6 cards ✅

Portsmouth v QPR

Last meeting -

QPR 6-1 Portsmouth ✅
10 corners ✅
6 cards ✅

Another team I'm keen to back to score at least once in the Scottish League Cup on Saturday is Ross County.

The Staggies have made an impressive start to the season, reaching the knockout round after recording three wins during the league phase, as well as holding Scottish Premiership outfit Dundee to a draw and prevailing in the subsequent penalty shootout.

Stuart Kettlewell's side have carried that momentum into Scottish League One, posting two wins from two by seeing off both Peterhead and Montrose. 

Veteran striker Brian Graham has made an impressive start to the campaign, and he looks the prime candidate to make his mark against Dunfermline this weekend.

The Pars have already shown signs of vulnerability at the back, conceding at home to Ayr last weekend while they failed to silence the likes of East Kilbride and Dumbarton during the group stage of the competition.

I've been impressed with Dundee’s start to the season, and I fancy them to find the net at least once when they travel to Aberdeen on Saturday. 

Steven Pressley's side could well hold the psychological edge heading into this Scottish League Cup clash, having defeated the Dons 2-0 in the Scottish Premiership last weekend. 

Dundee cruised through the early rounds of the League Cup, scoring 14 goals across their four matches. 

Aberdeen also progressed to this stage with relative ease, but their defensive record provides plenty of encouragement for this selection. 

The Dons failed to keep a clean sheet at home to Scottish Championship outfit Queen's Park before conceding away to Queen of the South, who ply their trade in Scottish League One. 

Stephen Robinson's side also conceded in their opening Scottish Premiership home match of the season against Hearts, which only adds to the appeal of backing Dundee to find the net at Pittodrie on Saturday.

I think East Kilbride look well placed to return to winning ways when they entertain Cove Rangers in Scottish League One on Saturday.

Mick Kennedy's men have made an impressive start to life in the third tier, opening with a 5-1 rout of Queen of the South before holding Airdrie to a 1-1 draw away from home last weekend.

East Kilbride will be confident of getting back to winning ways on home soil, where they have been particularly impressive in recent months.

As already mentioned, EK made light work of Queen of the South, while they also recorded impressive League Cup victories over Dunfermline and Dumbarton at this venue.

In fact, East Kilbride have now won each of their last 10 home matches across all competitions.

That is a daunting record for a Cove Rangers side that has lost five of its last six competitive matches, including a 2-0 defeat away to East Fife last weekend.

Hamilton have made an excellent start to the season and I'm backing them to continue that momentum by getting the better of Lanarkshire rivals Airdrie on Saturday. 

Darian MacKinnon's men finished their Scottish League Cup campaign with a 5-0 demolition of Elgin before opening their League One season with back-to-back victories over Montrose and Alloa. 

The first of those league wins was particularly impressive, with the Accies thumping Montrose 5-0 on their own patch.

Hamilton also have the chance to move to the top of the division here, with Ross County preoccupied with Scottish League Cup commitments. 

Airdrie, meanwhile, have made a far less convincing start, drawing their opening two league matches after losing three of their four games during the group stages of the League Cup.

Hamilton have all the momentum heading into this one, and I think that can carry them to another three points.

I'm backing Elgin City to avoid defeat when they welcome Kelty Hearts to Borough Briggs on Saturday.

The Black and Whites were widely tipped to struggle this season, but they've made an encouraging start, claiming one of the most eye-catching results of the SPFL's opening weekend with a 5-0 demolition of Edinburgh City before adding another point to their tally with a 1-1 draw against Forfar last weekend.

Their Scottish League Cup campaign was considerably less impressive, although they came within a whisker of holding Scottish Premiership outfit Kilmarnock to a goalless draw at home.

Elgin have traditionally been a tough nut to crack on their own patch, with the long journey north adding another layer of difficulty for visiting teams, and I think they can make life uncomfortable for Kelty here.

The Maroon Machine lost 1-0 away to Forfar on the opening weekend and also failed to win three of their four matches during the League Cup group stages.

My Goals Sheet’s rating for this game is 8.80 for Both Teams to Score.

Union St Gilloise began their domestic season with a 5-1 win at Westerlo, and they just lost out to Bodo/Glimt in Champions League qualifying 6-5 on aggregate, drawing 3-3 before losing 3-2 in extra time in the second leg.

BTTS landed in Zulte’s first game of the season as well; they came back late on to beat Genk 2-1 at home.

This game is rated 7.40 for Both Teams to Score by my Goals Sheet.

Barnet and Salford are amongst the pre-season favourites for promotion, and should be two of the best attacking sides in the division.

Both sides saw BTTS land in their EFL Cup first round ties last weekend and will be looking to land an early blow in the fourth tier promotion race.

BTTS landed in one of their head-to-heads last season, as Salford did the double over the Bees, but Barnet did generate 2.12 xG across the two games, showing that they can create good chances against them.

My Goals Sheet rates this game at 7.33 for Both Teams to Score.

Both sides are fancied for the play-offs, at least in League Two this season, and this is York’s first game after promotion back to the EFL, after winning the National League with 108 points last term and a +73 goal difference.

Rovers saw BTTS in four of their last five games of last season.

This game is rated 7.48 for Both Teams to Score on my Goals Sheet.

Leuven saw BTTS as they were beaten 3-1 at Charleroi last weekend, in a game that produced a total xG of 4.38 (1.30 from Leuven).

The last two head-to-heads have seen BTTS land, and Club Brugge looked in fine form as they beat Kortrijk 3-0 to kick off the campaign, generating 3.85 xG in the process.

This is the highest-rated game for Both Teams to Score on Saturday, according to my Goals Sheet, which gives it a rating of 8.85.

Five of the last six head-to-heads have seen both teams score, and both sides saw over 3.5 goals in their season openers.

Cambuur lost 4-0 last week, but they should get on the scoresheet this time around. They weren’t hopeless last time out, generating 0.72 xG from 11 shots, and Sittard were far from solid - allowing PSV 2.56 xG in their 2-2 draw.

Fortuna Sittard only drew six of their 34 games in the Eredivisie last season, only Heracles (4) and PSV (3) drew less games than the home side here.

Their 17 home games produced 57 goals (3.35 per game) with a fairly equal split when it comes to goals scored and goals conceded (28-29).

This selection landed in all three of Fortuna Sittard’s friendly matches ahead of the new campaign as they take on a newly promoted Cambuur side.

Cambuur only drew four of their 19 away matches in the Eerste Divisie last season, seeing 60 goals across these games (3.15 per game). 

Union St Gilloise have seen BTTS in each of their last seven matches, seeing BTTS & No Draw in five of these games.

They came away 5-1 winners over Westerlo in their opening league game of the campaign, notably managing 10 shots on target. 

USG only drew two of their 20 home matches in the Belgian Pro League last season, scoring 43 goals in the process.

Zulte have seen BTTS in each of their last six matches, notably winning five of these games. Only five of their 18 away matches ended in a draw in the Belgian top flight last term, with these games producing 57 goals (3.16 per game).

Two of the last three head to head meetings between these sides have seen BTTS & No Draw.

This game is rated at 9.48 for Over 1.5 Goals on my Goals Sheet.

Newly-promoted Rochdale will be looking to make an impression on their return to the EFL, and they could cover this line on their own as they travel to relegation-favourites Newport.

Both sides saw the bet land in their EFL Cup first round outing, and Dale scored 88 goals (1.91 per game) on their way to posting 106 points in the National League last season.

Barnsley have been a great side for overs goals betting in recent years. My Goals Sheet has their opening day clash with Bromley rated at 9.18 for Over 1.5 Goals.

Barnsley were actually worse defensively at home than they were away last season and have a new, but old, manager at the helm, with Daniel Stendel returning for a second spell.

Bromley know where the goal is, having won League Two last season, and are especially dangerous from set pieces, scoring 31 goals from them in the league last season - which was the most in the fourth tier by four clear goals.

KFUM v Lillestrom is rated 8.85 by my Goals Sheet for Over 1.5 Goals.

Over 2.5 has landed in three of KFUM’s last four, and the same can be said for Lillestrom, so this lower line is well within reach.

Their last seven competitive head-to-head games have covered the over 1.5 line, and the hosts need the points as they currently only have a three-point cushion on the Eliteserien relegation spots.

My Goals Sheet rates this game at 8.93 for Over 1.5 Goals.

An evenly matched game is expected, with both sides finishing on the exact same points (37) last season.

Their most recent meeting saw this bet land just after the hour mark. Gaziantep saw over 1.5 goals in their last 11 games of last season and are narrow favourites for the game.

My Goals Sheet rates this game at 9.33 for Over 2.5 Goals.

Which is the highest rating of the day for Over 2.5 Goals, so it’s a great one to have in an accumulator.

Both sides’ most recent games saw over 3.5 goals, with Fortuna Sittard impressively drawing 2-2 away at PSV.

Covering this line on their own is a possibility if they can carry on that positive attacking form, with Cambuur losing 4-0 at home to Excelsior last time out.

PSV surprisingly dropped points in their opening game of the season against Fortuna Sittard, but the underlying numbers from that game paint a slightly different story.

PSV are clearly the best side in the Eredivisie, they won the league with ease last year and registered an xG of 2.56 in their 2-2 draw with Fortuna Sittard, with their opponents scoring twice from an xG of just 0.98 and 24% possession.

PSV came away 5-1 winners when these sides last met, and have actually beaten Excelsior in each of the last 14 head to head meetings between the sides - stretching all the way back to 2016.

Excelsior finished just six points ahead of the drop zone last season, notably winning just five of their 17 home games - the second worst home record in the division.

Both of these sides saw 3+ goals in their opening game of the campaign with Sittard impressively holding PSV to a 2-2 draw while Cambuur faced a 4-0 battering at the hands of Excelsior.

Fortuna Sittard also saw 3+ goals in all three of their friendly matches in the build up to the campaign, while Cambuur saw 3+ goals in two of their three friendly matches ahead of the season starting.

Fortuna Sittard saw 57 goals across their 17 home games in the Eredivisie last season (3.35 per game). Cambuur competed in the Eerste Divisie last season, with their 19 away games producing 60 goals (3.15 per game).

This is quite a generous price for one of the most consistent players in the Premier League when it comes to registering shots on target.

Semenyo has been impressive during pre-season for Enzo Maresca’s side, registering an assist in all three friendlies and finding the target in two of these games. 

He’s played on both wings during the pre-season campaign and is crucially two footed - meaning that Semenyo is just as likely to find the target on his left foot as he is on the right.

Semenyo scored the second most non-penalty goals in the Premier League last season, only behind Erling Haaland, from a shot output of 83 (2.33 per 90), seeing 49% of these efforts find the target (1.15 per 90). 

BTTS has landed in four of the last five head to head meetings between these sides, despite this meeting usually being quite a tight contest.

I would expect it to be a bit more open on this occasion given that both sides will still be without key players, especially defensively which opens up the opportunity for goals at both ends of the pitch.

Arsenal have seen BTTS in all four of their friendly matches ahead of this tie, conceding against the likes of Girona, Dortmund, Betis and Como while Enzo Maresca’s side have also seen BTTS in all three of their friendly matches.

Matheus Nunes is set to continue at right back under Enzo Maresca, though his role may change slightly with the former Chelsea manager usually liking one of his fullbacks to invert during the first stage of build up.

Nunes is really suited to this role having previously played as a midfielder at Wolves, and Pep has left Maresca a player who is now also really comfortable in that usual right back role when City are without the ball.

Nunes has committed a foul in each of City’s last two head to head meetings with Arsenal, including when the sides met at Wembley in the EFL Cup final. 

His overall average in the Premier League last season isn’t that appealing (0.53 fouls per 90), but his direct opponent in Christos Tzolis should force a rise in these numbers. 

Tzolis was the best player in the Belgian Pro League last season and is effective in 1v1 situations, winning 1.73 fouls per 90 across his 34 starts in the Belgian top flight last season. 

Arsenal’s overall approach to games won’t change too much this season, and that means we will see the Gunners utilise set pieces once again as a key part of their attacking style.

They’ve signed another excellent corner and free kick taker in Christos Tzolis, giving Arteta another option from set pieces to be creative when the likes of Rice and Saka are unavailable - which may be a more frequent occurrence this season given his many games the duo played last year.

Arsenal racked up five corners when the sides met in the Premier League earlier this year and averaged 5.68 corners per game in the Premier League last season.

This bet is priced as short as 2/1 with some bookies.

Sky Bet are offering a 167% increase on 2/1, boosting this from 5/1 to 7/1 themselves, for a repeat of last season's Premier League - Arsenal finishing 1st and Man City 2nd.

With so much turnover elsewhere, Arsenal are 6/4 to retain the title and with City are the clear second-favourites in the market.

Enzo Maresca has experience balancing European football and aiming to compete towards the top of the division, they have the heavily odds-on favourite for the Golden Boot, Erling Haaland, in their ranks and a repeatable playing style that Maresca will look to build on, rather than tearing it up and starting from scratch.

Third and fourth favourites for the title, Liverpool and Chelsea, are set to endure clunkier transitions with their managerial changes (Arne Slot to Andoni Iraola and Liam Rosenior/Calum McFarlane to Xabi Alonso).

The top two in the Premier League has been Arsenal and Man City, in different orders, in three of the last four seasons.

7/1 suggests there is only a 12.5% chance that it finishes Arsenal 1st and Man City 2nd, I'd argue it's far more likely than that and other bookies agree.

Feyenoord won their opening game of the season to nil on the road against Sparta Rotterdam with an xG of 3.59.

Feyenoord won all five of their friendlies in the build up to the campaign, and have not lost a game since the 1st March - winning 10 of their 15 games in this period.

Feyenoord have Giovanni Van Bronckhorst at the helm who has positive experience with the club having led them to the Eredivisie title back in the 16/17 campaign.

Go Ahead Eagles fell to a 1-0 defeat when these sides met earlier this year, and only won two of their 17 away games last season.

Southampton started the season strongly with a 2-0 win over Colchester in the EFL Cup, building on the three wins they managed from three games in pre-season.

Tonda Eckert’s side avoided defeat in both head to head meetings with Watford last season, earning a point at Vicarage Road. Southampton avoided defeat in 69% of their away matches last year.

Watford have been inconsistent in pre-season and required a 99th minute winner to get past Crawley in their EFL Cup first round tie, Saints should be able to avoid defeat. 

West Ham look like the best side in the Championship and come into the season having recorded a 3-1 win over Portsmouth in the EFL Cup.

Bowen and Castellanos got on the scoresheet in that game, and that firepower is likely to serve West Ham well in a league that will struggle to match that level of attacking quality.

Burnley have lost a lot of key players over the summer and have a manager who has never been in the Championship before. They failed to win any of their friendly matches, and were held by Notts County in the EFL Cup prior to this match. 

Molde have seen 3+ goals in each of their last nine matches, stretching all the way back to the middle of May.

They take on a Tromso side who are desperately trying to keep up with Viking and Bodo Glimt as the pace setters in the Eliteserien.

Tromso have seen 3+ goals in four of their last five matches, most recently firing five goals past Cluj as part of Conference League qualifying. 

Jay Stansfield scored 10 goals in the Championship last season, and I think he’s capable of exceeding that tally this term.

He took 93 shots in the Championship last campaign (2.53 per 90), seeing 29 of these efforts find the target (0.79 per 90). 

He was playing just behind the striker at times last term and Davies played him off the left in Birmingham’s win over Swansea in the EFL Cup last time out.

He still gets in decent shooting positions from these roles, he managed more touches in the box than any other player against Swansea (5) and took two shots - one of which went narrowly over the bar. 

Tanganga picked up a yellow card in both head to head meetings between these sides last season, committing 2+ fouls in one of the matches.

He’s a very physical defender and will look to leverage that strength against a Birmingham frontline which isn’t the most physical. 

Tanganga picked up 10 yellow cards and one red card in the Championship last season from 51 fouls in total. This works out to an average of 1.23 fouls committed per 90 across his 42 starts in the division.

Christoph Klarer is quite a reckless centre back, collecting eight yellow cards and one card in the Championship last season.

He picked up these cautions from 40 fouls in total, working out to an average of 0.93 fouls committed per 90. He’ll be facing up against a front two here, so he will be a busy man throughout the contest.

Klarer committed a foul in Birmingham’s win over Swansea in the EFL Cup last time out and picked up a yellow card in both head to head meetings between the sides last season - committing 2+ fouls in both matches.

Birmingham ended last season quite strongly and have avoided defeat in each of their last nine matches, including pre-season friendlies.

They rode their luck a bit in their 1-0 win over Swansea in the EFL Cup last time out but have recruited well over the summer with notable additions including Solis, Fry and Beadle to improve the squad as they look for a spot in the playoffs.

Sheffield United have just lost Gustavo Hamer, one of their most influential players last season, and notably only managed to win nine of their 23 home games in the Championship last season.

I think East Kilbride look well placed to return to winning ways when they entertain Cove Rangers in Scottish League One on Saturday. 

Mick Kennedy's men have made an impressive start to life in the third tier, opening with a 5-1 rout of Queen of the South before holding Airdrie to a 1-1 draw away from home last weekend.

East Kilbride will be confident of getting back to winning ways on home soil, where they have been particularly impressive in recent months. 

As already mentioned, EK made light work of Queen of the South, while they also recorded impressive League Cup victories over Dunfermline and Dumbarton at this venue. 

In fact, East Kilbride have now won each of their last 10 home matches across all competitions.

That is a daunting record for a Cove Rangers side that has lost five of its last six competitive matches, including a 2-0 defeat away to East Fife last weekend.

I'm backing Elgin City to avoid defeat when they welcome Kelty Hearts to Borough Briggs on Saturday.

The Black and Whites were widely tipped to struggle this season, but they've made an encouraging start, claiming one of the most eye-catching results of the SPFL's opening weekend with a 5-0 demolition of Edinburgh City before adding another point to their tally with a 1-1 draw against Forfar last weekend.

Their Scottish League Cup campaign was considerably less impressive, although they came within a whisker of holding Scottish Premiership outfit Kilmarnock to a goalless draw at home.

Elgin have traditionally been a tough nut to crack on their own patch, with the long journey north adding another layer of difficulty for visiting teams, and I think they can make life uncomfortable for Kelty here.

The Maroon Machine lost 1-0 away to Forfar on the opening weekend and also failed to win three of their four matches during the League Cup group stages.

My Goals Sheet rates this game at 7.78 for Both Teams to Score.

Anderlecht have seen both teams score in four of their five competitive games this season, their opening league game and three of their four Europa League qualifying outings.

Newly-promoted Beveren were beaten 2-1 at Antwerp last time out, taking the lead and having the better of the first half before being pegged back in the second period.

They generated 0.90 xG in that game, which is a promising start heading into their first league home game of the campaign.

My Goals Sheet rates this one at 7.78 for Both Teams to Score.

There’s a much bigger set of season-long data to look at in the Eliteserien, heading into gameweek 17.

Valerenga have been a good follow for BTTS, with the bet landing in three of their last four in the league, they beat Aalesund 6-1 in July and impressively won 3-2 away at 6th-placed Brann in that period.

Aalesund are 2nd-bottom, one point from safety, and have seen BTTS land in all of their nine games.

The Community Shield final gets a rating of 8.65 for Both Teams to Score on my Goals Sheet.

The last four Community Shield games have seen BTTS, including Arsenal v Man City in 2023 (1-1 with Arsenal winning on pens).

Enzo Maresca is an attacking manager and will be desperate to get one over Mikel Arteta, with these clubs being the two clear favourites for the Premier League title this campaign.

My Goals Sheet has flagged this game for a Both Teams to Score bet, rating it at 7.48.

Both sides won to nil in their first game of the season, and the bet has won in two of Heerenveen’s last three away trips to play Ajax.

The hosts are very strong favourites and will be focussing on the league this season, at least for the bulk of it, with only Europa Conference League action to contend with alongside their domestic efforts, if they can progress from the final round of qualifiers.

My Goals Sheet rates this game at 7.63 for Both Teams to Score.

The bet landed in both teams’ season openers, with Charleroi looking especially potent in attack as they beat Leuven 3-1 and generated 3.08 xG in the process.

It’s a massive occasion for Lommel, their first top-flight home games for over two decades, and they showed enough promise in their 1-1 draw at St Truiden last time out (St Truiden came 3rd last season) to be worth a BTTS bet this weekend.

Leo Scienza was one of the best players in the Championship last season and Southampton have done well to keep him amid interest from the Premier League and other top leagues across Europe.

Scienza ended the 25/26 season with 17 goal contributions in the Championship, exceeding his combined xG + xA of 13.1. Seven of Scienza’s goal contributions were goals, coming from 84 shots in total (3.13 per 90), seeing 37 of these efforts find the target (1.38 per 90). 

Scienza’s shot volume is particularly promising when looking to back him for an effort on target here, he managed four shots in Southampton’s win over Colchester in the EFL Cup last time out - highlighting again just how often he takes aim.

Caspar Jander is another player in this Southampton side that probably has the quality to play in the Premier League and gets through quite a lot of work in the middle of the park for the Saints.

He committed 45 fouls across his 32 starts in the Championship last season (1.48 per 90), also averaging 6.25 defensive contributions per 90 as well as 3.32 tackles per 90. These metrics show just how much work Jander gets through in the middle of the park. 

Jander committed a foul in the most recent head to head meeting between the sides, with Southampton committing 10 fouls in that game - a tally consistent with their foul average in the Championship last season (10.5 per game).

The meeting between these two at Vicarage Road last season produced four goals as the sides played out a 2-2 draw.

Southampton’s games towards the end of last season were really entertaining, seeing 3+ goals in each of their last nine games of the campaign across all competitions.

Southampton are one of the few sides in the Championship that have a degree of continuity from last season having kept Tonda Eckert and a lot of their key players, so I expect this trend to continue here.

Watford saw 57 goals across their 23 home games last season (2.47 per game), and notably saw 3+ goals in two of their friendly matches ahead of the new season. 

Only Sheffield United (304) and Middlesbrough (333) won more corners in the Championship than Southampton (276) in the Championship last season.

Tonda Eckert’s side averaged 5.75 corners per game in the second division, and usually end up with a healthy corner count as a result of their overall dominance - which is present over most sides in the division.

Watford conceded 5.17 corners per game in the Championship last season. Southampton recorded exactly five corners when they visited Vicarage Road last term and I’d expect them to come away with a similar corner count this time around.

Southampton came flying out of the blocks this season, kicking off with a composed 2‑0 victory over Colchester in the EFL Cup, which only added to the confidence gained from three straight preseason wins.

Tonda Eckert’s side held their own against Watford in both league meetings last season, including a hard earned point away at Vicarage Road. Across their away fixtures last year, the Saints came away unbeaten in 69 percent of those trips.

Watford, by contrast, looked patchy throughout preseason and needed a stoppage time winner deep into the 99th minute just to squeeze past Crawley in their own first round cup tie. With that uncertainty hanging over the hosts, Southampton have every chance of leaving with at least a draw.

These sides met back in March this year in a meeting that saw Colorado come away 4-1 winners as the away side, notably registering an xG of 4.26 to Kansas’ 0.74.

Colorado are chasing a spot in the playoffs in the Western Conference and find themselves two points away from those positions ahead of this game. They’ll see this as a must win, given that Kansas sit rock bottom of the Western Conference.

Kansas have only won four of their 18 matches in the MLS this season, notably losing more games than any other side in the Western Conference (12). They’ve conceded 46 goals across these games (2.55 per game), which is simply not sustainable and is likely to cost them here.

LAFC sit second in the Western Conference and have avoided defeat in each of their last eight games ahead of this clash.

LAFC are one of the best defensive sides in the MLS having kept more clean sheets than any other side, and only conceding 19 goals across their 19 matches - only Vancouver (17) have conceded fewer goals than LAFC in the Western Conference.

No side has picked up more points at home in the Western Conference of the MLS than LAFC (22) and they take on a San Diego side who have only won one of their eight away games in the MLS this season, notably only scoring eight goals across these games.

These are two of the most entertaining sides in the MLS and we should get goals at both ends given the recent records of both teams.

Atlanta have failed to win any of their last eight matches across all competitions, but have seen BTTS in six of these games. Their eight home games have produced 25 goals (3.1 per game). 

They take on a New York Red Bulls side who have conceded 21 goals across their nine away games this season (2.33 per game) which is a record that suggests that there is a real defensive vulnerability about the away side on the road.

New York Red Bulls have seen BTTS in six of their last seven matches, and will see this as a winnable game against the weakest side on paper in the Eastern Conference - though the porous nature of the Red Bulls on the road should see Atlanta have opportunities. 

Orlando are probably the best side in the MLS to back when it comes to both teams to score - they’ve seen BTTS in each of their last four matches ahead of this clash.

Cincinnati have also shown decent promise when it comes to BTTS across recent matches with this selection landing in 10 of their last 11 games across all competitions. They’ve only managed to win one of their nine away games this term, seeing 42 goals across these games (4.66 per game).

Each of the last four head to head meetings between these sides, stretching back to 2024, have seen BTTS with the most recent meeting producing eight goals as Cincinnati came away 6-2 winners over Orlando.

This game is rated at 9.40 by my Goals Sheet for Over 1.5 Goals.

Nine of the last 10 Community Shield games have seen this bet land.

That includes Arsenal 1-1 Man City in 2023 (Arsenal won on pens).

Both sides are capable of covering this line on their own, and it’s a good chance to land an early punch ahead of their respective title pushes.

The last five head-to-heads between these two have all seen two or more goals.

My Goals Sheet rates this game at 9.00 for Over 1.5 Goals.

Only Barcelona and Real Madrid scored more La Liga goals last season than Villarreal, so they can land this bet on their own.

This is Racing Santander’s first game back in La Liga since 2011/12, they topped the second tier last season - and were comfortably the division’s best attacking team, netting 2.14 goals per game.

The two played in the Copa Del Rey last season, with Racing winning 2-1; expect an enterprising opening weekend clash.

The Goals Sheet loves this game for Over 1.5 Goals, rating it at 9.55.

It landed for both sides last week, with Lommel drawing 1-1 at St Truiden and Charleroi winning 3-1 at home to Leuven.

Charleroi scored in 15 of their 20 league away games last season and should get on the scoresheet at newly-promoted Lommel.

Lommel themselves generated 1.72 xG in their first league game, so should create enough chances at home to contribute to this bet.

The Goals Sheet likes this game for Over 1.5 Goals, giving it a rating of 8.93.

Both sides won promotion from the Turkish second tier last season, and both their head-to-heads in that campaign saw Over 1.5 Goals (2-2 and 2-0 to Erzurumspor).

Amed saw 3.24 goals per game in the second tier last season, and Erzurumspor scored in 37 of their 38 league outings.

My Goals Sheet has this game at 8.93 for Over 1.5 Goals.

Lazio are heavily odds-on to win this Coppa Italia first round tie.

They are as short as 1.36 in places to cover this line on their own and score twice or more.

Mantova came 9th in Serie B last season and are unlikely to tame this Lazio, who have been free-scoring in pre-season and can lay down a marker for the campaign after a disappointing 25/26.