Champions League Tips

The absence of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard for Norway is a factor and the Netherlands look the most likely victors with home advantage. Seven of the Netherlands’ last ten games have gone over 3.5 goals while there have been five or more goals in four of Norway’s last five matches, Norway may be missing a couple of big names but they still have enough talent to get on the scoresheet.,

Spain have never conceded against Serbia in three games and may extend that run to four against the Eagles, who failed to qualify for the World Cup and have lost without scoring in three of their last five games. Eight of Spain’s last nine games have gone over 2.5 goals and, even if they do rotate with one eye on the World Cup, their attacking talents are likely to be too strong for the visitors and they can win with plenty of room to spare.

Partick have lost just one of their last 11 games overall and have three wins in their last five at home. The Jags should be able to see off relegation-threatened Ross County, who are on a four-game winless streak and have failed to score in three of those games. Thistle have kept three clean sheets in a row at home ahead of this game and they can win without conceding on Friday.

England won all eight of their World Cup qualifiers without conceding and have won their last six fixtures to nil. They face a Uruguay side that have only won one of their last nine away games, scoring a total of five goals in this sequence.

The last three meetings between these two teams have all ended as a draw and a repeat of that looks likely when they face off in Basel. Switzerland have only lost one of their last 14 games and could make life tough for the visitors.

Both teams are on win streaks, but over the past 15 games the Hornets are the more impressive team. They lead the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency, plus their Net Rating is a staggering +16.2 points during this stretch. New York has really struggled defending the three-ball in their last 3 games allowing opponents to shoot 39.5%. With the Hornets making 19.2 threes per game over their last 15 games, they’ll know how to exploit that here. Take the home team on the Money Line.

Lanus have put together a three-game winning run and they can upset the odds by seeing off Argentinos Juniors on Thursday night. The hosts have won just three of their nine games so far, although they’ve also only lost once. Argentinos Jrs have scored just six goals in their nine games, while Lanus are scoring on average 1.6 goals per-game and that extra quality in attack could prove the difference.

Bottom club Mirandes claimed an unlikely win over Valladolid in their last game and can follow that up with at least a goal at mid-table Cordoba. Clean sheets have been an issue for both sides as Cordoba have conceded in 11 straight games, scoring themselves in eight of those fixtures. Mirandes have gone 14 games without a shut-out so goals at both ends looks likely.

Both teams have scored in five of Ayr’s last six games and they have conceded in all of those. Raith have gone five games without a clean sheet and with both defences looking vulnerable backing both teams to score looks a good angle here.

Both teams have scored in six of Inverness’ last seven games and they have only failed to score themselves in one of their last 13. Queen of the South have seen goals at both ends in nine of their last 10.

Spain have never conceded against Serbia in three games and may extend that run to four against the Eagles, who failed to qualify for the World Cup and have lost without scoring in three of their last five games.

England won all eight of their World Cup qualifiers without conceding and have won their last six fixtures to nil. They face a Uruguay side that have only won one of their last nine away games, scoring a total of five goals in this sequence.

The absence of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard for Norway is a factor and the Netherlands look the most likely victors with home advantage.

The last three meetings between these two teams have all ended as a draw and a repeat of that looks likely when they face off in Basel. Switzerland have only lost one of their last 14 games and could make life tough for the visitors.

Partick have lost just one of their last 11 games overall and have three wins in their last five at home. The Jags should be able to see off relegation-threatened Ross County, who are on a four-game winless streak and have failed to score in three of those games.

Both teams have scored in six of Inverness’ last seven games and they have only failed to score themselves in one of their last 13. Queen of the South have seen goals at both ends in nine of their last 10.

Spain are likely to rotate for this friendly and that could mean a start for Barcelona’s Fermín López. Fermin has been in decent form for Barca with two assists and a goal across his last three games, Friday’s friendly offers a chance to open his international account.

Tijjani Reijnders has struggled for game time in recent weeks for Man City but can make his mark on the international stage on Friday. Reijnders scored two goals in seven qualifiers and averaged over two shots per-game for the Dutch during their qualification bid.

The absence of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard for Norway is a factor and the Netherlands look the most likely victors with home advantage. Seven of the Netherlands’ last ten games have gone over 3.5 goals while there have been five or more goals in four of Norway’s last five matches, Norway may be missing a couple of big names but they still have enough talent to get on the scoresheet.,

Both teams have scored in five of Ayr’s last six games and they have conceded in all of those. Raith have gone five games without a clean sheet and with both defences looking vulnerable backing both teams to score looks a good angle here. Raith have endured a difficult season and they sit in seventh spot in the standings, but they boast the fourth best home record in the division and can claim the points against out-of-form Ayr, who are on an eight-game winless run across all competitions.

Seven of the Netherlands’ last ten games have gone over 3.5 goals while there have been five or more goals in four of Norway’s last five matches, with the visitors keeping only one clean sheet in that run. Both nations are in flying form and that should lead to a free-scoring encounter.

Collectively these two sides conceded just seven goals across 26 World Cup qualifiers and Morocco continued to show plenty of defensive resolve during the recent Africa Cup of Nations. With each of Ecuador’s last nine games featuring a maximum of two goals, this has all the makings of a low-scoring contest.

Spain have never conceded against Serbia in three games and may extend that run to four against the Eagles, who failed to qualify for the World Cup and have lost without scoring in three of their last five games.

Eight of Spain’s last nine games have gone over 2.5 goals and even if they do rotate with one eye on the World Cup, their attacking talents are likely to be too strong for the visitors. Take a 3-0 home win.

These two sides look hard to separate and the draw offers plenty of appeal when you consider Ecuador have shared the spoils in seven of their last nine games, while two of their previous four matches have finished 1-1.

Both of these teams have seen over 2.5 goals land in five of their last six games and a repeat of that looks likely, especially considering Turkey’s attacking talents and Romania’s injury issues. Side with Turkey to win and over 2.5 goals to land too.

The Republic of Ireland closed out 2025 with three wins, which saw them score six goals from an xG of 6.2. That improved record in the final third should help them in this playoff, but their defensive record is questionable. The Irish have conceded in 15 of their last 19 games, including all four competitive away trips in 2025.

Poland have won five of their last six games at home and have kept a clean sheet in four of those victories. They have won to nil in four of their last five home meetings with Albania, while four of the visitors’ last five defeats have been to nil.

Wales have won five of their last six competitive home fixtures and can make the most of the advantage of playing in Cardiff on Thursday. Bosnia have lost six of their last 12 away games, and rode their luck in a 1-1 draw in Austria in their last trip, but they should find the net after scoring in 11 successive games.

Slovakia are unbeaten in eight home games and have won four of their last five in front of their own fans, keeping a clean sheet in each of these five games. Kosovo have lost two of their last five away fixtures.

Only France managed to beat Ukraine during the group stages of World Cup 2026 qualification and they picked up 10 points from their other four games. Ukraine have won four of their last six fixtures as the designated home team and can grind out a win inside 90 mins against out-of-form Sweden, who lost four of their six qualifiers.

The Republic of Ireland won 3-2 in Hungary in a game which was essentially a playoff for second place, and that impressive win stands them in good stead for this trip to Prague. The Czechs progressed ahead of Gibraltar, Montenegro, and the Faroe Islands, while the Irish came through must-win clashes against both the Hungarians and Portugal in November’s break.

Northern Ireland have not beaten Italy since 1958 and have failed to score in each of the six meetings since then. Gli Azzurri have won four of their last seven games without conceding, while each of Northern Ireland’s last two defeats have seen them fail to find the net.

Poland have won five of their last six games at home and have kept a clean sheet in four of those victories. They have won to nil in four of their last five home meetings with Albania, while four of the visitors’ last five defeats have been to nil.

Wales have won five of their last six competitive home fixtures and can make the most of the advantage of playing in Cardiff on Thursday. Bosnia have lost six of their last 12 away games, and rode their luck in a 1-1 draw in Austria in their last trip.

Slovakia are unbeaten in eight home games and have won four of their last five in front of their own fans, keeping a clean sheet in each of these five games. Kosovo have lost two of their last five away fixtures.

Only France managed to beat Ukraine during the group stages of World Cup 2026 qualification and they picked up 10 points from their other four games. Ukraine have won four of their last six fixtures as the designated home team and can grind out a win inside 90 mins against out-of-form Sweden, who lost four of their six qualifiers.

Albania have conceded exactly twice in each of their last four defeats, three of which ended 2-0, while Poland have won by a 2-0 scoreline in two of their last five at home.

Northern Ireland have lost two of their last three games by a 1-0 scoreline and face an Italy side that have won to nil in four of their last seven. Gli Azzurri haven’t conceded a goal in six meetings with Norn Iron, but have only scored five times in their last four encounters.

North Macedonia were humiliated 7-1 away at Wales in their last World Cup qualifier in November and that came on the back of draws with Belgium, Kazakhstan and Latvia. Denmark can make home advantage count and they should be able to win without conceding as their opponents lack firepower.

Poland have won five of their last six games at home and have kept a clean sheet in four of those victories. They have won to nil in four of their last five home meetings with Albania, while four of the visitors’ last five defeats have been to nil.

Northern Ireland have not beaten Italy since 1958 and have failed to score in each of the six meetings since then. Gli Azzurri have won four of their last seven games without conceding, while each of Northern Ireland’s last two defeats have seen them fail to find the net.

The Republic of Ireland won 3-2 in Hungary in a game which was essentially a playoff for second place, and that impressive win stands them in good stead for this trip to Prague. The Czechs progressed ahead of Gibraltar, Montenegro, and the Faroe Islands, while the Irish came through must-win clashes against both the Hungarians and Portugal in November’s break.

Only France managed to beat Ukraine during the group stages of World Cup 2026 qualification and they picked up 10 points from their other four games. Ukraine have won four of their last six fixtures as the designated home team and can grind out a win inside 90 mins against out-of-form Sweden, who lost four of their six qualifiers.

The Republic of Ireland closed out 2025 with three wins, which saw them score six goals from an xG of 6.2. That improved record in the final third should help them in this playoff, but their defensive record is questionable. The Irish have conceded in 15 of their last 19 games, including all four competitive away trips in 2025.

Wales have won five of their last six competitive home fixtures and can make the most of the advantage of playing in Cardiff on Thursday. Bosnia have lost six of their last 12 away games, but they have found the net in 11 successive games and Wales’ only clean sheets in their last 11 attempts came against Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.

Only France managed to beat Ukraine during the group stages of World Cup 2026 qualification and they picked up 10 points from their other four games. Ukraine have won four of their last six fixtures as the designated home team and can grind out a win inside 90 mins against out-of-form Sweden, who lost four of their six qualifiers. The Swedes have scored in both games since Graham Potter took charge though, so they can find a consolation.

Wales have won five of their last six competitive home fixtures and can make the most of the advantage of playing in Cardiff on Thursday. Bosnia have lost six of their last 12 away games, and rode their luck in a 1-1 draw in Austria in their last trip, but they should find the net after scoring in 11 successive games.

Ukraine’s Spain-based striker Vladyslav Vanat made five appearances without scoring in the group stages but he could end his wait for a qualification strike against the Swedes. The 24-year-old has nine goals in 26 games for Girona in La Liga and comes into the play-offs in solid form with two goals and an assist across his last six games for his club.

Nathan Broadhead came off the bench and scored in the win over North Macedonian and his club form could see him handed a start on Thursday. Broadhead has two goals in his last three games for Championship promotion hopefuls Wrexham.

Parrott has 29 goals for club and country this season, five of which came across his two appearances for the Republic of Ireland in November’s international break. The striker has scored four goals his has last three games for AZ Alkmaar, and he can continue that good form in this key game.