Juventus have lost only one of their 11 matches since Igor Tudor replaced Thiago Motta as manager in March and they have tasted success against Manchester City in this season’s Champions League, winning 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium in December. They have no reason to be fearful.

These sides have scored just one goal between them in the Club World Cup, registering 13 shots on target and just 3.65 expected goals in their four combined matches. With nothing on the line at Audi Field, expect a low-scoring affair.

Real Madrid allowed 25 shots in their victory over Pachuca and have conceded in both Club World Cup games so far, but have scored four goals. Red Bull Salzburg know they need a result to guarantee qualification, and should take advantage of Real Madrid’s injury problems at the back to get a goal. That being said, the Austrians were lucky to get points against Pachuca and Al Hilal and could come unstuck against the superior quality of Los Blancos.

Pachuca have been unlucky to lose both their Club World Cup ties, with the Mexican side having 42 shots across their games. They should find the net against Al Hilal, with both teams scoring in three of these sides’ four combined matches in this competition.

Real Madrid allowed 25 shots in their victory over Pachuca and have conceded in both Club World Cup games so far, but have scored four goals. Red Bull Salzburg know they need a result to guarantee qualification, and should take advantage of Real Madrid’s injury problems at the back to get a goal.

Juventus have lost only one of their 11 matches since Igor Tudor replaced Thiago Motta as manager in March and they have tasted success against Manchester City in this season’s Champions League, winning 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium in December. They have no reason to be fearful.

Real Madrid allowed 25 shots in their victory over Pachuca and have conceded in both Club World Cup games so far, but have scored four goals. Red Bull Salzburg know they need a result to guarantee qualification, and should take advantage of Real Madrid’s injury problems at the back to get a goal.

Pachuca have been unlucky to lose both their Club World Cup ties, with the Mexican side having 42 shots across their games. They should find the net against Al Hilal, with both teams scoring in three of these sides’ four combined matches in this competition.

These sides have scored just one goal between them in the Club World Cup, registering 13 shots on target and just 3.65 expected goals in their four combined matches. With nothing on the line at Audi Field, expect a low-scoring affair.

Justin Thomas has struggled in his last two Masters starts – no surprise given the downturn in his form generally – but he ended 2024 by finishing second and third in his last two events. He’s well suited to Augusta, where his approach play and scrambling ability are huge assets.

Rory McIlroy’s first PGA Tour title came at the Charlotte venue in 2010 and he’s gone on to win the Wells Fargo Championship at the course on a further three occasions. He is comfortable at Quail Hollow and looks an obvious title threat if he can hold it together mentally.

A runner-up in 2022 and third in 2023, the exacting test which the US Open usually provides should prove to be ideal for such a marvellous ball-striker as Scottie Scheffler.

Tommy Fleetwood is one of the best exponents of links golf in the world, finishing in the top 12 in four of the last six Opens. Expect him to make another bold run at the Claret Jug come July.

Aryna Sabalenka dominated the hard courts on the WTA tour last year, winning 40 of her 49 matches on the surface, and she claimed both the Australian Open and US Open titles. She can be devastating in Melbourne, winning 27 of her last 28 matches at the Grand Slam in the last three seasons.

Iga Swiatek remains the undisputed queen of clay on the WTA tour. The Pole has won the title at Roland Garros three seasons running as well as in 2020 and she has lost just twice in 37 matches at the clay-court Grand Slam.

Last season’s ATP Tour was pretty much dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who each won two of the four Grand Slam titles, and between them it should be another stellar year. Alcaraz reigned supreme at Wimbledon, making it back-to-back titles at the All England Club, and Novak Djokovic’s obvious decline at 37 years of age makes the Spaniard a worthy favourite to rack up the hat-trick.

At the back end of a gruelling season, the US Open can sometimes throw up strange results and there are often surprises before the September silverware is eventually secured. It could, therefore, be worth going against the head of the market and hard-court specialist Daniil Medvedev ticks plenty of boxes at a nice price.

Kenan Yildiz opened his Club World Cup campaign with a goal against Al Ain and followed it with a brace against Wydad Casablanca, taking his tally to four goals and two assists in his last four competitive appearances.

Juventus have lost only one of their 11 matches since Igor Tudor replaced Thiago Motta as manager in March and they have tasted success against Manchester City in this season’s Champions League, winning 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium in December. They have no reason to be fearful.

These sides have scored just one goal between them in the Club World Cup, registering 13 shots on target and just 3.65 expected goals in their four combined matches. With nothing on the line at Audi Field, expect a low-scoring affair.

Only champions Liverpool are a shorter price than Tottenham to win their opening Premier League fixture and I think I would look to oppose Spurs.Of course, a home tie against Burnley appears a fairly kind fixture, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Clarets, who conceded only 16 goals in 46 Championship matches last term, were difficult to break down.The decision to replace Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank wasn’t met with unanimous euphoria in north London and it could take a while for Spurs to find their stride.

Brentford have a busy summer ahead as they plan for a future after Thomas Frank but they should be ready for the opening weekend of the season and can start with a win against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.The Bees might be without Bryan Mbeumo, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, but they are usually a step ahead when it comes to player recruitment and are likely to assemble a strong squad over the next few weeks.Forest will be in for a tough game and they might struggle to shrug off the disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification.The Tricky Trees have taken one point from their last four home games and they could be stung by the Bees.

Despite little expectation, there was plenty of promise in Fabian Hurzeler’s first season at the Amex and it would be no surprise to see a young Brighton side take another forward step next term.The Seagulls saw out the campaign by drawing with Newcastle and beating West Ham, Wolves, Liverpool and Tottenham in their final five matches and they have already added Sunderland’s playoff hero Tommy Watson and Italy Under-21 centre-back Diego Coppola to a strong squad.Fulham, meanwhile, lost five of their last seven matches of the season, only beating Southampton and Brentford, and are yet to bring in any new faces, suggesting an opening-day defeat may be on the cards for the Cottagers.

Pep Guardiola must adapt his usual pre-season plans due to Manchester City’s involvement in the Club World Cup and the Citizens could drop points in a tricky opening assignment at Wolves.City made hard work of May’s 1-0 home victory over Wolves, who hit the woodwork twice at the Etihad Stadium, and they needed a 95th-minute John Stones winner at Molineux in October.Wolves sold forward Matheus Cunha to Manchester United and left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri to City but their recruitment has been good in recent years and they won ten of their 22 league matches after Vitor Pereira’s arrival in December.

Leeds were the highest-scoring side in last season’s Championship, but they may find the going tougher in the top flight, and they could kick off their season with a low-scoring affair at Elland Road.Ten of Everton’s final 12 games of 2024/25 featured fewer than three goals, and their away games throughout last season averaged a Premier League low of 1.95 goals per game. A mere 26 per cent of them went over 2.5 goals, and no team outside the top four conceded fewer goals than the Toffees.

Liverpool won by at least two goals in nine of their 14 home victories last season, while they comfortably saw off Bournemouth home and away. The Cherries lost 3-0 at Anfield and 2-0 at home to the Reds, despite enjoying a successful campaign.Bournemouth have already sold Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid, while Liverpool are pursuing their left-back Milos Kerkez. The Reds will have plenty of time to bed in their new signings, while Andoni Iraola’s side will likely start this campaign weakened at the back. Back the champions to lay down a marker in their opener.

Columbus Crew have won five times at home this term, including four wins from five against the weakest sides in the division. Atlanta United have the league’s sixth-worst record, while they’ve lost six of eight trips this season. The hosts just beat the Western Conference leaders, the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1 in their last game.

Cincinnati continue their push for top spot in the East at a Montreal side who are winless at home this term. The hosts have the second-worst record in MLS, losing 11 of 18 games. Having scored less than a goal per game at home, back the visitors to win to nil.

Columbus Crew have won five times at home this term, including four wins from five against the weakest sides in the division. Atlanta United have the league’s sixth-worst record, while they’ve lost six of eight trips this season. The hosts just beat the Western Conference leaders, the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1 in their last game.

Both teams have scored in six of Philadelphia Union’s last eight MLS matches and Chicago Fire have seen goals at both ends in 14 of their 17 games this season. No MLS team has played more games in which both sides have scored than Chicago Fire.

Both teams have scored in seven of the last nine times that Toronto have hosted New York Red Bulls in MLS and the trend looks set to continue.

Vancouver’s form has been mixed of late but at home they have been consistent as they’re unbeaten in eight (W5, D3) across all comps. The Western Conference-leading Whitecaps can make the most of their home advantage against San Diego, who have four losses in their last six on the road.

Columbus Crew have won five times at home this term, including four wins from five against the weakest sides in the division. Atlanta United have the league’s sixth-worst record, while they’ve lost six of eight trips this season. The hosts just beat the Western Conference leaders, the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1 in their last game.

Orlando City have won four of their last six matches in MLS, while they have a solid defensive record having conceded less than a goal per game on their travels. St Louis have lost five of their last eight matches across all competitions, while they’ve been beaten in five of their seven clashes with teams in the top 10.

Colorado Rapids should be backed to get a home win over LA Galaxy. The visitors are yet to taste victory away from home in MLS this season, with three draws and seven defeats on the road.

Bookmakers are struggling to find a favourite in the clash between Sporting Kansas City and Charlotte at Sporting Park in the early hours of Thursday morning, but it is the home team who look like the value bet as Charlotte have seven losses in 10 road games.

Cincinnati continue their push for top spot in the East at a Montreal side who are winless at home this term. The hosts have the second-worst record in MLS, losing 11 of 18 games. Having scored less than a goal per game at home, back the visitors to win to nil.

Cincinnati continue their push for top spot in the East at a Montreal side who are winless at home this term. The hosts have the second-worst record in MLS, losing 11 of 18 games. Having scored less than a goal per game at home, back the visitors to win to nil.

Dallas have a terrible home record, earning just five points at their own ground this term. San Jose have won three of five visits to sides below them, so back them to take maximum points. However, with BTTS landing in the previous 10 meetings, back both teams to score.

European heavyweights Inter still look the most likely winners and correct-score punters should plunge for a 2-1 win, given the Nerazzurri have been breached in six of their last ten wins, four of which ended with that margin of victory.

Monterrey were fortuitous in both of their draws with River Plate and Inter, having had a total of only three shots on target, and they could be frustrated by their J1 League rivals, who shared the spoils in three of their six matches in the build up to the Club World Cup.

An early goal either way could spark this contest into life and both teams have scored in nine of River Plate’s last 12 matches. Inter, meanwhile, have managed only three clean sheets in their last 18 outings.

Urawa netted consolation goals in each of their two defeats to River Plate and Inter and they can get on the scoresheet against Monterrey, who have seen both teams score in 12 of their last 16 matches.

Brian White had scored five goals in as many games for Vancouver before linking up with the USA squad for an extended period. He was used sparingly by the Stars and Stripes and should come back into MLS action fresh, he can get back among the goals against San Diego.