Football Betting Tips

Hannover have been one of the surprise packages in Bundesliga 2 but are likely to come unstuck against league leaders Hamburg.  Hamburg have a perfect away record with four wins in as many attempts but Hannover are yet to draw a blank at home, so an away win with both teams scoring appeals.

Den Haag have hit some form and are unbeaten in their last three games, including a 2-1 win at pacesetters Zwolle in their last outing.  They should be able to down a Jong PSV side who are yet to win away – but as the visitors have scored in all their trips we’re also expecting goals at both ends.

Mansfield are gunning for a third straight win and should be able to see off struggling Hartlepool.  However, we’re also expecting goals at both ends as both teams have scored in six of Mansfield’s last nine games in all competitions while both teams have scored in four of the last six League Two meetings between Hartlepool and Mansfield.

Navarro is the visitors’ top scorer and their best route to a goal in this clash. He’s scored four times in his last four league games so back him to trouble a Sporting side who have conceded 10 times in seven league games.

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Carlton Morris has scored four times in his last three matches, a fine run of form which extends to six in his last six appearances.

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Sanchez scored for Chile in their last game and the former Arsenal man is thriving in France. he has scored four times across his last five Ligue 1 matches, so back him against an Angers side who are conceding an average of two goals per home game so far this term.

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Both teams have scored in four of the last five Gil Vicente games and in four of the last five meetings between the clubs. Sporting Lisbon, meanwhile, have conceded ten goals in their seven Primeira Lig games this season.

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Luton have lost one of their last six matches and have won their last three against Hull, while Friday’s hosts have lost their last four consecutive league matches.

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Angers have emerged victorious in just one of their four home matches so far this term. Across those four home matches, Angers have conceded an average of two goals per game. Olympique Marseille are undefeated in their last nine Ligue 1 games in a row.

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Porto are going through a tough patch with three defeats and a draw in their last six games in all competitions. Meanwhile, Braga are unbeaten in all nine games so far this season, winning eight and drawing one. The visitors have also avoided defeat in four of the past five head-to-head meetings with Porto and outscored them 7-6 across those games.

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Both teams have scored in four of the last five Gil Vicente games and in four of the last five meetings between the clubs. Sporting Lisbon, meanwhile, have conceded ten goals in their seven Primeira Lig games this season.

Both teams have scored in three of Bayern’s last four Bundesliga games and they have conceded in all of those.  There have been goals at both ends in four of Bayer’s seven league games, and they have managed just one clean sheet so we’re expecting both teams to find a way through.

Both teams have scored in six of Mansfield’s last nine games in all competitions while both teams have scored in four of the last six League Two meetings between Hartlepool and Mansfield.

Both teams have scored in four of Tenerife’s seven games this season and they have managed just one clean sheet, while they have scored in all of their home games.  There have been goals at both ends in two of Gijon’s last four games and they have conceded in all of those, so we’re expecting both teams to score.

There have been at least four goals scored in three of NAC’s last five games, while VVV’s league games are averaging exactly 3.5 goals-per-game – so we’re expecting a high-scoring affair in this Dutch second tier clash.

There have been at least four goals scored in five of league leaders Zwolle’s eight league games this season – and exactly three scored in all the other games.  Over 3.5 goals has been a winning bet in five of Jong Ajax’s last six games.

Luton have lost one of their last six matches and have won their last three against Hull, while Friday’s hosts have lost their last four consecutive league matches.

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Although Almeria are not winning matches, they do not tend to concede too many, so they are unlikely to get hammered. Athletic Bilbao though have scored at least twice in three of their last four, while they average two goals per game this season.

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The visitors have been impressive so far this season and the break came at just the right time for them. With the hosts conceding an average of two goals per home game so far this term, a 2-0 Marseille victory would not be a surprise.

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Henry:  Things haven’t gone quite to plan for Rangers this season, but Celtic’s defeat at St Mirren has let the Gers back in and they are unlikely to pass up the opportunity when they go to Hearts on Saturday.

Ian: Norwich got their return to the Championship off to a shaky start, but Dean Smith’s side are beginning to act like ante-post favourites and they should have too much for Blackpool.

Dan: Three successive victories have lifted Swindon to ninth, just a point outside the playoffs, and there is no reason why the Robins shouldn’t push for automatic promotion – and they can make a big statement by defeating second-placed Northampton.

Gareth: Borussia Monchengladbach crushed RB Leipzig 3-0 in their last Bundesliga outing and can back that up with a win at mid-table Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Aaron: The hosts have scored in each of their last five games, while they meet a Milan side who have seen BTTS land in each of their last five along with seven of their last nine. I can see the visitors conceding here, but I’m backing them to claim all three points.

Mohamed Salah has been an absolute revelation for Liverpool since joining in 2017/18, scoring 118 Premier League goals in just 180 appearances. He is showing no signs of slowing down, either, notching 23 times last season for his second-best goalscoring season in the top flight. That was his third Golden Boot award in five seasons, with only Thierry Henry winning the award more times than him.

Teemu Pukki won the golden boot in the Championship in 2018/19 and he racked up another 26 goals the last time Norwich were at this level in 20/21, leading them to the title once again. Pukki was squeezed out in a competitive field that year, with the top four scorers from that season all plying their trade in the top flight this season bar Pukki. The Finn has been an incredible consistent scorer over the years for Norwich. He’s hit 29 and 26 in two Championship campaigns and 11 in both Premier League seasons.

Oxford’s goal poaching frontman Matt Taylor hit 20 of their 82 league goals last term, propelling his side to the brink of glory. Only six League One players contributed a higher portion of their 2021/22 team goals than Taylor’s 24% and a similar reliance on his efforts in another promotion push could see him at the top end of the scoring charts yet again.

The last time Omar Bogle was at this level for a full season he hit 19 goals in 27 games for Grimsby in 2016/17. Newport create plenty of chances and Dom Telford, now with Crawley, topped the scoring charts last season. County’s new boy Bogle will be the focal point in their attack next term and he looks a huge price to finish as League Two’s leading marksman.

Norwich may not quite cut it at the highest level, but they proved in 20/21 that they’re too strong for the Championship. Most of that squad remains and they have last season’s TV riches and their parachute payment to fund extra signings ahead of the new season too.

Only two sides picked up more points than Bolton in the final 20 rounds (W12, D5, L3) of last season, a run which saw the Wanderers rise from the lowly depths of 18th to an eventual ninth placed finish. Manager Ian Evatt has done a good job of keeping his squad together over the summer and they should be able to mount a title bid.

Mansfield finished seventh in the standings last season but they were still only eight points behind champions Forest Green. The Stags have largely managed to keep their squad intact and the captures of midfielder Hiram Boateng and veteran keeper Scott Flinders from MK Dons and Cheltenham respectively look shrewd additions.

The last four seasons have seen Manchester City and Liverpool relentlessly pursue perfection and just one point separates the two clubs over this 152-match period.

With this in mind, it is hard to get behind Manchester City at odds-on, especially when they will need to make some drastic changes to their playing style to accommodate Erling Haaland. The Norwegian’s arrival will undoubtedly prove fruitful in the long term, but there is every chance of a slow start and that could be fatal when every point counts.

Liverpool lost the title by just one point last term despite losing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a month to their national sides. This season, Salah and Luis Diaz will enjoy a month of rest during the World Cup and that could make all the difference.

As always, Bayern Munich are overwhelming favourites and worth swerving in the outright market, but Borussia Dortmund should make another claim to the best of the rest crown.

They have won this market in three of the last four seasons and, while they have lost Erling Haaland, they have brought in some key players with Sebastian Haller, Niklas Sule and the highly-rated Karim Adeyemi all joining the cause.

Edin Terzig knows the club well after 12 years in various roles around Borussia Dortmund and main challengers RB Leipzig have lost a host of talent this summer.

PSG may be huge favourites in Ligue 1 but when you take the big-spending champions out of the equation things are a lot more competitive.

Marseille were best of the rest last season but will have a Champions League campaign to focus on, while Monaco will also be distracted by European commitments.

Lyon may have finished a disappointing eighth last term but they were only ten points off Marseille and can focus fully on the league. They have kept the bulk of their squad in tact while adding Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso to their ranks, while Nicolas Tagliafico and Johann Lepenant are other eye-catching acquisitions.

Defending champions Ajax have lost a host of important personnel, with manager Erik ten Hag departing and the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Sebastian Haller and Ryan Gravenberch all heading for the exit door, too.

It will be a season of transition for the Amsterdam club and PSV can take advantage of their largely settled squad. They have lost a few players but Luuk de Jong’s arrival and Ajax’s transition can held them bridge the two-point gap from last season.

Porto beat Sporting Lisbon to the title by six points last season but have seen their squad decimated in the last six months. They lost Luis Diaz in January and have seen Vitinha and Fabio Vieira, who contributed eight goals and 17 assists between them, depart this summer.

Sporting’s only major loss from last season’s squad is the departure of Pablo Sarabia, but they have brought in plenty of defensive reinforcements and added Barcelona winger Francisco Trincao on loan. Overall, they look to have retained more of their most influential players than Porto so could pip their rivals to the post this season.

Both teams dropped just seven points since January last term so I’m siding with the higher price of Sporting, while Benfica could be a long way back after losing Darwin Nunez.

It is hard to look beyond Los Blancos after their claimed their 35th La Liga title last season, beating arch-rivals Barcelona by 13 points.

Xavi’s arrival in November sparked a resurgence for Barcelona but they still picked up five fewer points than Real Madrid since he took the reins and that was while Real Madrid maintained their successful Champions League campaign.

The Catalan club have strengthened their squad with the likes of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski but internal politics and cashflow issues make them hard to back, while Real Madrid haven’t sat on their laurels, either, with the arrival of Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger.

Inter Milan finished just two points off top spot last season, despite losing Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi and Antonio Conte the summer before.

Simone Inzaghi proved he was ready for the step up in his first year in charge, winning the Italian Cup alongside their strong title defence. Now Lukaku is back, plus they’ve added Andre Onana from Ajax, which should take the Nerazzurri beyond AC Milan and keep them clear of Juventus.

Manchester City and Liverpool have been almost inseparable over the last four seasons, with just one point between them across the last 152 Premier League games.

The reigning champions will have to alter their style of play to accommodate Erling Haaland and Liverpool have the added bonus of giving Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz a mid-season rest thanks to their respective national teams failing to qualify for the World Cup.

Another incredibly close battle for the title is expected but I fancy Liverpool to pip their new-age rivals.

Tottenham could be some way off in third but I give them the advantage over Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Spurs earned 56 points in Antonio Conte’s 28 games in charge last season, with only Man City and Liverpool collecting more. They have strengthened in Richarlison and Yves Bissouma and Conte has averaged 2.2 points-per-game across almost 300 Premier League and Serie A games.

Bournemouth dropped off in the second half of last season and had just the sixth-best record in the Championship in 2022. They haven’t made any significant moves in the transfer market and are heavily reliant on Dominic Solanke, who either scored or assisted 48% of their goals last season.

Fulham are similarly reliant on Aleksandar Mitrovic after his record-breaking season but the Serbian has never managed to hit those heights in the top flight. They have also lost Fabio Carvalho, who scored ten and assisted eight, and each of their last two Premier League stints have lasted just a single season.

Everton had the joint-third worst record in the Premier League since Frank Lampard took over and they have lost star-player Richarlison this summer. They don’t look interested in reinvesting that money after recent years of frivolous spending and they took just five points from the ten games in which Richarlison didn’t start last season.

Both Ajax and Napoli have been weakened over the summer, so expect them to struggle against a Liverpool side who wrapped up first place within four games in last season’s group stage.

Porto’s biggest threat in Group B are Atletico Madrid, who last topped a Champions League group in 2016, while they’ve made a shaky start to the season after a quiet summer. The Spaniards barely finished above Porto in their group last term, so back the Portuguese outfit to take first place.

Barcelona and Inter Milan are big names, but neither of them are at the same level as Bayern. The German giants are at the very top of European football, while Barca exited this competition at the group stage last term after two defeats to Bayern. Inter have made it through their group once in the past three seasons.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte’s Champions League record is poor, making it out of the group stage once across his last four attempts while at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. While with the Blues he finished second to Roma, while his Inter Milan side finished behind German outfits in back-to-back seasons. Back the Europa League holders to topple Spurs.

The Blues were minutes away from top spot last season, ultimately undone by an injury crisis. However, they face a weaker group this time around. AC Milan are their biggest threat and the Rossoneri were bottom of their group last season.

The defending champions have little opposition at the first hurdle. Their biggest threat is a Leipzig side who have failed to pass the group stage in two of their last four attempts. Back Real to easily take this group.

Man City rarely slip up in the group stage and they have done the hard work already by pinching their biggest rival’s best player. Erling Haaland was crucial to Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League hopes, with him in City blue back him to fire the Citizens beyond his former side.

Juventus aren’t the opposition they once were, which should allow PSG to take this group more easily than expected. The French giants have made an incredible start to the campaign and they look to have gotten their act together, so back them to see off a Juve side who aren’t cut out for Europe’s elite level.

PSG have made a brilliant start to the season, with new boss Christophe Galtier ending their flashy approach and adding discipline. The French side have made a brilliant start as a result, while their attacking threat and tactical flexibility marks them out in this competition.

Villarreal followed up winning the Europa League by making the Champions League semi-finals last term. They have a four-time Europa League winning manager and after dumping Juventus and Bayern Munich out of Europe last term they should prove the strongest side in UEFA’s third-tier tournament.

PSG have made a brilliant start to the season, with new boss Christophe Galtier ending their flashy approach and adding discipline. The French side have made a brilliant start as a result, while their attacking threat and tactical flexibility marks them out in this competition.

Arsenal’s flying start in the Premier League came with a settled squad, but they have the depth to fight on multiple fronts. The Gunners have been handed a favourable group and they have a strong first choice side who can step in and take them all the way in the latter stages.

Villarreal followed up winning the Europa League by making the Champions League semi-finals last term. They have a four-time Europa League winning manager and after dumping Juventus and Bayern Munich out of Europe last term they should prove the strongest side in UEFA’s third-tier tournament.

Arsenal’s flying start in the Premier League came with a settled squad, but they have the depth to fight on multiple fronts. The Gunners have been handed a favourable group and they have a strong first choice side who can step in and take them all the way in the latter stages.

Arsenal have been drawn in Group A and it looks to be a two-way battle between the Gunners and Dutch outfit PSV for the top spot. PSV managed to overcome Monaco in Champions League qualifying but then fell short against Rangers. Arsenal should have the quality to come through as group winners if they take the competition seriously.

It could be worth backing Turkey’s Fenerbahce to take top spot despite the fact they were beaten by Group B rivals Dynamo Kyiv in the early rounds of Champions League qualifying. Fener have an excellent home record and haven’t lost a competitive game at Ulker Stadyumu since February. If they can take maximum points in their home games, that may well be enough to see them finish at the top of the pile.

Roma and Real Betis are the favourites to progress from Group C and it does look as if they fight for top spot will be a two-way fight between the Serie A and La Liga clubs.  Roma tend to draw a lot of games and may drop points, while Betis have made a strong start to the domestic season and can carry that momentum into Europe.

Germany’s Union Berlin are justifiable favourites in Group D after an unbeaten start to the season, including a draw with Bayern Munich. Union did fall at the first hurdle in the ECL last season but that was clearly a low priority for the club, and if they take the competition seriously they should finish ahead of Braga, Malmo and Union SG.

Real Sociedad can finish ahead of Manchester United in Group E, with Omonia and Sheriff likely to be battling for third place.  United may well use the early rounds of this competition to rotate as the Premier League is the priority, leaving the door open for La Liga’s La Real.

Lazio should have the quality to come through in first place despite being handed a fairly tricky looking draw with Feyenoord, Midtjylland and Sturm Graz in Group F. The Rome outfit finished second in their group in the Europa League last season but they only lost once, at Galatasaray in a game where they dominated for large periods, and as they’ve been placed in what on paper looks a weaker group this year they should be able to finish in first.

Freiburg can come out ahead of Olympiakos, Nantes and Qarabag in Group G. Nantes have made a poor start to the season in France, while Olympiakos struggled through qualifying after they were dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Maccabi Haifa. Outsiders Qarabag may prove to be Freiburg’s biggest rivals but the Bundesliga club look a good option to take top spot after winning four of their five domestic league games so far.

Monaco have made a disappointing start to the season, winning just two of their seven games across all competitions, so it may pay to look elsewhere and Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda, aka Red Star Belgrade, have real appeal. Red Star have lost just one competitive home game since November 2019 and if they can make the most of their fixtures at the Stadion Rajko Mitic they could pull off a minor upset and finish in pole position ahead of Monaco.

There is a sense that three-time defending champions Chelsea are being caught up by Arsenal, who were just a point in arrears at the end of last term and beat Chelsea 3-2 in an entertaining clash at the Emirates on the opening weekend of the campaign. A shock defeat to relegated Birmingham put paid to their title ambitions but there were definite signs that they had improved under manager Jonas Eldevall as they took eight points off Chelsea and third-placed Manchester City during the season and they may be able to go all the way this year.