Champions League Tips

Gent are on a three-game winning run in the league and they should be able to make it four in a row at Louviere, who have just one win in nine in this competition (D3, L5). The hosts have at least scored in their last two home losses and can grab a consolation effort here.

Wolfsburg have won the last three head-to-head meetings and are good value to take the points against an inconsistent Cologne side that have lost four of their last six Bundesliga matches.

Espanyol have won three of their last six home league games while Alaves have lost six of their last seven away La Liga matches. The visitors have the joint-worst away record in La Liga and seem unlikely to pick up any points.

Lens may have won their last nine home games in all competitions, but they could be running out of steam after a couple of unconvincing displays. Meanwhile, Le Havre had the better of Lens’ 2-1 win earlier this season and have avoided defeat in four of their last five league games.

Lazio have won only one of their last five Serie A matches while Genoa are unbeaten in their last five league outings with two wins. The visitors can at least avoid defeat against a side Lazio  who have failed to score in their last two matches.

Derby have the joint-third best defensive record away from home in the Championship and face a Bristol City side that have seen under 2.5 goals land in their last three games. The last three meetings between these sides at Ashton Gate have featured a goal apiece, and another low-scoring affair is expected.

FEBRUARY –  The Texans’ suffocating defence has been the key to their eight-game winning run and with the AFC looking the less competitive conference this season after the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs, they have the talent to go a long way. Quarterback CJ Stroud is fully fit again and can look for an elite wide receiver in Nico Collins while former first-round picks Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. are just two of their many defensive stars.

JULY – Elena Rybakina looks a bet in her bid to repeat her 2022 triumph at the All England Club. The Kazakhstani has had a tough couple of years, due in the main to off-court issues, but she finished last year on a high with victory at the WTA Finals. She’s a superb grass-court player who is as good as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek when she’s on her game.

JULY – Alex Noren enjoyed a resurgence in his career in 2025, winning twice on the DP World Tour, and 2026 could finally be the year he ends his long wait for a maiden Major. The Swede has an affinity for links golf, evidenced by his victory at the 2016 Scottish Open and his two top-10 Open finishes, he could go all the way and land the Claret Jug in 2026.

DECEMBER – Mercedes may have botched the ground-effect era, but the Silver Arrows have a strong record of responding well to rule changes, and the sweeping regulation shift coming in 2026 should bring the title back into play. Their power unit has already come under, and been cleared, of scrutiny, suggesting it is likely to be among the strongest engines on the grid, and they have the driver lineup to win the consistent points necessary to land the constructor crown.

Aryna Sabalanka has reached each of the last six Grand Slam finals played on hardcourts and has won four of those. The Belarusian has won two of the last three editions of the Australian Open and can respond to the disappointment of losing last year’s final by taking the trophy in 2026.

Adelaide have the best home record in the division with 15 points from seven games and they can make the most of home advantage against Macarthur. The visitors have won just one of their last four and were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom club Central Coast last time out, but they should at least be able to strike on defeat having scored in six of their last seven A-League games.

Both teams have scored in four of Reims’ last five away league games, while goals at both ends has been a fairly regular occurrence for Clermont – landing in seven of their last eight fixtures across all comps.

Montpellier have conceded in five of their last seven at home, and have scored themselves in 80% of their home games this season. Guingamp have seen goals at both ends in six of their last eight Ligue 2 trips.

Both teams have scored in nine of Twente’s last 10 away games across all comps. Breda are yet to keep a clean sheet at home in any competition and have scored in six of their last eight league games at this venue.

Both teams have scored in four of Maastricht’s last five games and they have conceded in all of those. Eindhoven have just one clean sheet in their last 10 at home and have scored 11 goals across their last four games overall, so goals at both ends looks likely here.

Both teams have scored in seven of Dordrecht’s last eight games and they have kept just one clean sheet in 14. Vitesse have seen goals at both ends in four of their last five at home and they concede on average just under 1.5 goals per-game at this venue.

Gent are on a three-game winning run in the league and they should be able to make it four in a row at Louviere, who have just one win in nine in this competition (D3, L5). The hosts have at least scored in their last two home losses and can grab a consolation effort here.

Wolfsburg have won the last three head-to-head meetings and are good value to take the points against an inconsistent Cologne side that have lost four of their last six Bundesliga matches. Cologne have scored in all four of their games since the winter break and Wolfsburg have gone 12 games without a clean sheet so the hosts can get on the scoresheet. 

Despite the mounting pressure on both clubs, this clash is likely to be an open affair. At least three goals have been scored in all four of Cologne’s post-winter break matches and in six of the Wolves’ last seven Bundesliga games overall.

Derby have the joint-third best defensive record away from home in the Championship and face a Bristol City side that have seen under 2.5 goals land in their last three games. The last three meetings between these sides at Ashton Gate have featured a goal apiece, and another low-scoring affair is expected.

Le Havre have tightened up at the back recently, conceding only three goals in their last five league games. Lens’ last three home Ligue 1 games have all gone under 2.5 goals and that pattern could continue on Friday.

Las Palmas have juts one point to show from their last three games but all of those have been clashes with promotion rivals, and the trip to strugglers Real Sociedad B looks a good opportunity to get back to winning ways, The hosts are winless in five in the league and have lost two of their last three at home, while Las Palmas have only lost twice on their travels in this competition and won the reverse fixture 2-1.

Espanyol have won three of their last six home league games while Alaves have lost six of their last seven away La Liga matches. The visitors have the joint-worst away record in La Liga and seem unlikely to pick up any points.

Despite the mounting pressure on both clubs, this clash is likely to be an open affair. At least three goals have been scored in all four of Cologne’s post-winter break matches and in six of the Wolves’ last seven Bundesliga games overall.

Moreirense sit above Guimaraes in the standings and are the team in the better form, with three wins in their last four games. Guimaraes have failed to win three of their last four home games and the visitors look capable of leaving with at least a point.

Las Palmas have juts one point to show from their last three games but all of those have been clashes with promotion rivals, and the trip to strugglers Real Sociedad B looks a good opportunity to get back to winning ways, The hosts are winless in five in the league and have lost two of their last three at home, while Las Palmas have only lost twice on their travels in this competition and won the reverse fixture 2-1.

Moreirense sit above Guimaraes in the standings and are the team in the better form, with three wins in their last four games. Guimaraes have lost back-to-back games and have three defeats in their last four at home in the league, so the visitors look capable of pulling off a minor upset and leaving with three points.

Lazio have won only one of their last five Serie A matches while Genoa are unbeaten in their last five league outings with two wins. Genoa have conceded just four goals across their last five games and look defensively solid enough to grind out a victory at Stadio Olimpico against a Lazio side who have failed to score in their last two matches.

Wolfsburg have won the last three head-to-head meetings and are good value to take the points against an inconsistent Cologne side that have lost four of their last six Bundesliga matches.

Bristol City have won the last three home meetings with Derby by a 1-0 scoreline, but the reverse fixture in August ended 1-1 and the Rams have only lost two of their last nine away games. With both teams proving difficult to beat, a 1-1 stalemate could be on the cards.

Espanyol have won three of their last six home league games while Alaves have lost six of their last seven away La Liga matches. The visitors have the joint-worst away record in La Liga and seem unlikely to pick up any points. Three of Alaves’ last seven away trips have finished in 1-0 defeats for them and that score could recur against an Espanyol side that has conceded only five goals at home to bottom-half clubs.

Moreirense defender Maracas has been making an impact in attack recently with two goals in his last three games, while all three of his league efforts this season have come in his last eight outings. Maracas is a threat from set pieces and stands out as an outside contender for an anytime effort on Friday.

Liverpool look like the best value pick, with the Reds putting their struggles behind them with an eight-game unbeaten run. The Reds have the fourth-best Expected Goals record across the first six Champions League gameweeks, while they’ve recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Europe. Arne Slot’s side have a kind double-header in January, leaving them primed for a top-eight finish. With the Premier League coasting towards a fifth Champions League berth, the Reds should be in a good position to focus on European success in the spring.

Spain have some incredibly talented individuals, Lamine Yamal being the prime example, but are strong in all areas and don’t have any particular weaknesses. They won Euro 2024 with relative ease and they should be too good for their continental rivals at the World Cup. They also look a level above South American heavyweights Argentina and Brazil, suggesting they will be the team to beat at the World Cup this summer.

Blackpool have scored in their last nine League One games, while they’ve netted 23 goals across their 14 games at Bloomfield Road. However, only two sides in the third tier have conceded more goals than Blackpool’s 39. Opponents Stockport have found the net in 10 of their 13 away games this term, but all of the visitors’ away clean sheets have come against teams in the relegation zone.

Barcelona haven’t kept a clean sheet in their seven Champions League games this term. The Catalans have conceded at home to Olympiakos and Eintracht Frankfurt, and they host a Copenhagen side who are pushing to make the top 24 after winning 3-2 against Villarreal last time out. 

Feyenoord have conceded 13 times across their seven League Phase games, while they were beaten 4-3 at FCSB in their last European trip. Betis have scored twice in all three of their home games in the Europa League this term, but the visitors need a win to avoid elimination. 

BTTS has landed in 10 of 14 Genoa games since Patrick Viera was sacked, and they head to a Lazio side who have scored 13 times in their six home clashes with sides below them.

Wolves have conceded the second-highest number of goals at home, while Bournemouth have shipped the most goals away. BTTS has landed in the visitors’ last eight games, while Wolves can threaten after an upturn in performances under Rob Edwards.

Rangers return from a visit to Portugal aiming to continue some free-scoring form in the Premiership, but they visits a Hibs side that averages two goals per game at home. 

Melbourne City got hammered 6-2 at Macarthur last time out but can respond at Wellington. The Phoenix also suffered a heavy loss last time out as they went down 4-1 at Newcastle and they have three defeats in their last six at home. Wellington have only failed to score in one home game this season, so back MCFC to win and concede.

Adelaide have the best home record in the division with 15 points from seven games and they can make the most of home advantage against Macarthur. The visitors have won just one of their last four and were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom club Central Coast last time out, but they should at least be able to strike on defeat having scored in six of their last seven A-League games.