Champions League Tips

Seven straight league wins mean Monaco are the most in-form team in Europe’s top five leagues and they can maintain their impressive run in the capital. The Monegasques sensational sequence includes victories over PSG, Marseille and Lyon, so it is hard to see mid-table Paris FC coping with Sebastien Pocognoli’s men.

Marseille lost back-to-back games before the international break but those defeats came against Lille and rivals Monaco, so they can expect to find things easier when hosting basement boys Metz. The visitors have failed to score in seven of their last nine matches, so it’s a question of how many the hosts can score. Marseille have netted 15 goals in their last seven home matches, so they can clear a -1 handicap.

Augsburg have lost 14 Bundesliga games this season, only the bottom three have suffered more defeats, and they may be set for another against a Hoffenheim side who have won seven away games already this term.

Real Madrid should have too much for Girona in a high-scoring clash at the Bernabeu. Both teams have scored in Los Blancos’ last five games and a repeat of that is fancied as the hosts may have one eye on next week’s second leg against Bayern Munich but should have enough to get the win.

It’s second against fourth in Italy’s second tier, and visitors Palermo have failed to win a game against a side in the top eight so far. Frosinone can move level with leaders Venezia with a victory, and they’re in fantastic scoring form, netting at least twice in their previous 10 games.

Swindon are firmly in the mix for promotion in League Two and they look likely winners in this clash with Colchester. The visitors are unbeaten in five away games, recording three wins during that period, while Colchester have won only one of their last six and have nothing at stake.

Since moving up from cruiserweight, Riakporhe has fought twice at heavyweight and has won both of those contests by stoppage. He can take the British title away from Jeamie TKV, who has been stopped twice in an 11-fight career, without needing the judges.

Conor Benn is the huge favourite but veteran Regis Prograis won’t go down easily. Rougarou has a 30-3 record and has never been stopped, while Benn’s last four fights have all gone the distance. Prograis is a former world champion and can at least reach the latter stages of this fight so over 6.5 rounds looks a solid bet.

Tyson Fury makes his return from retirement on Saturday but he’s only been out of the ring for around 16 months and ring rust isn’t a concern. Fury should be too much for a one-dimensional Arslanbek Makhmudov  and he can win inside the distance. Fury doesn’t have the kind of power that will allow him to just blow the 36-year-old away in one visit but he should be able to pick Makhmudov off as the rounds progress and he can force a stoppage in the second half of the fight.

Tyson Fury makes his return from retirement on Saturday but he’s only been out of the ring for around 16 months and ring rust isn’t a concern. Fury should be too much for a one-dimensional Arslanbek Makhmudov  and he can win inside the distance. Fury doesn’t have the kind of power that will allow him to just blow the 36-year-old away in one visit but he should be able to pick Makhmudov off as the rounds progress and he can force a stoppage in the second half of the fight.

The Heat put up just 95 points in a defeat in Toronto two days ago, and their All-Star Norm Powell is questionable after featuring in that game. A lot of shooting broke right for the Raptors in their 121-95 win, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s calling card is making adjustments in play-off series. The Raptors’ offensive options are far from consistent, but they remain excellent defensively, so it’s hard to justify this line being set 20 points above Tuesday’s final total.

The Heat put up just 95 points in a defeat in Toronto two days ago, and their All-Star Norm Powell is questionable after featuring in that game. A lot of shooting broke right for the Raptors in their 121-95 win, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s calling card is making adjustments in play-off series. The Raptors’ offensive options are far from consistent, but they remain excellent defensively, so it’s hard to justify this line being set 20 points above Tuesday’s final total.

The Knicks have won three straight, and they meet a Celtics side that has a string of key names on their injury report. With three games separating these sides in the standings, the Celtics don’t have much need for the win here, but the Knicks are desperate to hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers and hold onto third place.

The Heat put up just 95 points in a defeat in Toronto two days ago, and their All-Star Norm Powell is questionable after featuring in that game. A lot of shooting broke right for the Raptors in their 121-95 win, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s calling card is making adjustments in play-off series. The Raptors’ offensive options are far from consistent, but they remain excellent defensively, so it’s hard to justify this line being set 20 points above Tuesday’s final total.

The Knicks have won three straight, and they meet a Celtics side that has a string of key names on their injury report. With three games separating these sides in the standings, the Celtics don’t have much need for the win here, but the Knicks are desperate to hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers and hold onto third place.

Indiana laying a bucket on the road is too much respect for a team that is also 18-61. And yet this is more about price than team quality. The Nets have been ugly, but the market is likely overreacting to their recent disaster against Atlanta, which came with 20 turnovers. While it is easy to be scared off, this is a volatile stat and not something you should automatically project forward. In games between bad teams, the home dog offers the most value, given that the favourite has little motivation to win.

The Rockets are rolling with their focus on climing the West standings in the final week. They’ve been stellar defensively, and they host a Philly side that is without former All-Star Joel Embiid, while the Sixers have losted 102 and 93 points in back-to-back meetings with contenders. The Rockets are great defensively, but a little stodgy offensively, so the under appeals here.

The Lakers are without their top-two offensive options in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but those two players are their biggest defensive liabilities. The Warriors are looking competitive again with Steph Curry back in the side, but a more defensively focused Lakers side will be aiming to keep this close and steal a key win.

Ludvig Aberg is arguably the form player on the PGA Tour, finishing third, fifth and fifth in his last three starts, and he is made for the Masters, as course form figures of 2-7 underline.

Min Woo Lee has long looked to have the tools for this test and has finished in the top 12 in four of his last five PGA Tour appearances. The power-packed Perth man was 14th on his Masters debut in 2022 and his touch around the greens will be a massive asset this weekend.

Nicolai Hojgaard returns to Augusta on an impressive run of results, finishing third in Phoenix, sixth in the Cognizant Classic and was a runner-up behind Gary Woodland in the Texas Open last time out.

Few boast a better Augusta skill set than Xander Schauffele, who can capitalise on an ideal preparation to claim a first Masters victory. Schauffele’s 2024 campaign, in which he won the US PGA Championship and the Open, was always going to be tough to beat, and he never found top gear last season after suffering a rib injury early in the campaign. However, he was still able to finish eighth at Augusta on just his fifth start of the year, and signed off 2025 with victory in the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.

Central Coast Mariners have the worst xG record in the A-League, which offers Brisbane Roar an opportunity to end their winless run. The visitors have served up stronger performances than their results suggest, while they’ve won 16 of their last 24 visits to Central Coast Mariners. The struggling hosts concede close to 2.0 xG on average, but BTTS has landed in their previous five.

It’s second against fourth in Italy’s second tier, and visitors Palermo have failed to win a game against a side in the top eight so far. Frosinone can move level with leaders Venezia with a victory, and they’re in fantastic scoring form, netting at least twice in their previous 10 games.

Seven of Hoffenheim’s last nine games have gone over 2.5 goals and Augsburg have one of the worst defensive records in the division. However, Augsburg have netted in six of their last seven matches, and Hoffenheim ship 1.71 goals per away trip, so goals appeal here.

Galway United have won three of their last four games in high-scoring fashion, as they’ve scored nine and conceded eight across that run. Shelbourne are aiming to bounce back from consecutive 3-2 defeats, so expect an open encounter in this clash.

Moreirense have lost nine of their 10 clashes with the top six this season, shipping at least two goals in eight of those defeats. The visitors have shipped 14 goals across six visits to their fellow top-half sides. They head to fifth-placed Famalicao, who have built their European push on fine home form, scoring 21 goals across 11 meetings with sides below them.

Pisa have lost five of their last eight games without scoring and they are yet to win on the road this season, despite Roma’s struggles they should be able to shut out these strugglers and record a win to nil.

Marseille lost back-to-back games before the international break but those defeats came against Lille and rivals Monaco, so they can expect to find things easier when hosting basement boys Metz. The visitors have failed to score in seven of their last nine matches and look set for another disappointing outing.

Millwall have taken the most points on the road of any team in the Championship this season, and they’ll be eager to get their promotion hopes back on track after falling to a defeat to Norwich on Monday.

Real Madrid should have too much for Girona in a high-scoring clash at the Bernabeu. Both teams have scored in Los Blancos’ last five games and a repeat of that is fancied as the hosts may have one eye on next week’s second leg against Bayern Munich but should have enough to get the win.

Wolves are on a four-game scoring streak and both teams have scored in each of their last three games. West Ham have only failed to score in one of their last six games and they have kept just one clean sheet themselves during that period.

Moreirense have lost nine of their 10 clashes with the top six this season, shipping at least two goals in eight of those defeats. The visitors have shipped 14 goals across six visits to their fellow top-half sides. They head to fifth-placed Famalicao, who have built their European push on fine home form, scoring 21 goals across 11 meetings with sides below them.

Drogheda are winless in eight after a 3-2 home defeat to Galway United, and they meet a Waterford side who are without a victory this season. The hosts have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last seven, with BTTS landing in three of their previous four. Despite their struggles, Drogheda have found the net in all five of their away trips this season, keeping only one clean sheet.

Wolves are on a four-game scoring streak and both teams have scored in each of their last three games. West Ham have only failed to score in one of their last six games and they have kept just one clean sheet themselves during that period.

Both teams have scored in Los Blancos’ last five games and a repeat of that is fancied as the hosts may have one eye on next week’s second leg against Bayern Munich.

Adam Armstrong opened his account for Wolves in the 2-2 draw with Brentford last time out, having recorded two assists in his first six appearances in the league since his January arrival. That strike should provide a bit of a confidence boost and he can follow that up with a goal at West Ham.

Six of Real Madrid’s last ten games have ended 2-1 and a repeat of that scoreline is the selection against a Girona team who have taken just 15 points from their 15 away games in La Liga this season.

With Metz failing to find the net in five of their last six games, a Marseille clean sheet seems likely. It then becomes a question of how many can the hosts score and given they have netted 15 goals in their last seven home matches, three seems a probable tally for OM.

Real Madrid should have too much for Girona in a high-scoring clash at the Bernabeu. Both teams have scored in Los Blancos’ last five games and a repeat of that is fancied as the hosts may have one eye on next week’s second leg against Bayern Munich but should have enough to get the win.

Moreirense have lost nine of their 10 clashes with the top six this season, shipping at least two goals in eight of those defeats. The visitors have shipped 14 goals across six visits to their fellow top-half sides. They head to fifth-placed Famalicao, who have built their European push on fine home form, scoring 21 goals across 11 meetings with sides below them.

Jamie Griffith: Blackpool have won four and lost none of their last five home matches. Peterborough, meanwhile, look well off it. Posh have struggled on their travels in particular and their winless away run is set to be extended to seven games with a defeat at Blackpool.

Aaron Ashley: Only runaway leaders Lincoln have picked up more points at home this season than Bradford, who have won 15 of their 20 matches at Valley Parade. The visitors have suffered defeat in seven of their last nine away league games and that includes on trips to bottom-four pair Exeter and Northampton.

Tom McGarry: Shrewsbury are all but safe from League Two relegation and their form over recent weeks would suggest they are already on the beach, as they have lost five of their last six. By contrast, Oldham are flying, winning nine and losing only one of their last 13 games to propel themselves into play-off contention.

Gareth Freeman: The Hornets seem destined for a mid-table finish as a run of just one win in their last six games means they are nine points adrift of the play-offs. Oxford are the team in greater need of the points and they’re unbeaten in four at home, with two wins.

Tom Hill: Liverpool have lost three on the spin in all competitions, and with their title defence over months ago, Slot may have one eye on the second leg against PSG. Fulham are unbeaten in three away games in all competitions and they are unbeaten in their last three matches against the Reds.

Aaron Rogan: Aberdeen are in dire form with no wins across their last nine league games, and they’ve suffered 12 defeats from their 14 clashes with sides placed fifth or higher, including home and away losses to Hibs.