Haugesund have lost ten of their 11 league games this season, scoring just four goals, and they look likely to fall to another defeat when they host a solid Kristiansund outfit.

Bodo/Glimt have won three of the last four meetings between them and Sarpsborg without conceding and a repeat of that is fancied in this clash, the Europa League semi-finalists are fancied to come out on top.

Tromso have won five league games in a row and should be able to extend that run against a Fredrikstad side who have lost three of their last four and drawn the other.

Molde have won four of their last seven games and should be able to extend that run against a KFUM Oslo side who have only taken two points from a possible 15 on the road this season.

Bryne have won three of their five home games and are in good nick at present so should be able to get the better of these opponents.

Stromgodset have lost eight of 10 league games this term, including all five home matches. Valerenga have won two of their last four trips, so back them to secure maximum points on Sunday.

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.

Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open despite facing three match points in the fourth set to reel in Jannik Sinner in the final. That was the fifth time in the last six meetings that Alcaraz had got the better of his fierce rival, while he is on an 18-match winning streak, having won the last three tournaments he has contested.

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2023 winner Vondrousova recently won in Berlin, while she defeated Madison Keys, Diana Shnaider, Ons Jabeur and Sabalenka along the way. She’s capable of matching top-seed Sabalenka, making her a good outside option to win the title.

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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.

Flamengo have impressed so far and have scored in seven successive games, while Bayern Munich have conceded in their last two fixtures, although keeping the Bavarian side at bay is unlikely.

The hosts have scored in all but one of their home matches this term despite not winning a game. Elfsborg are expected to impress, but the visitors have kept one clean sheet in four.

Only league leaders Mjallby have managed a clean sheet at Hacken this term, with the hosts scoring 1.8 goals per game at home. However, GAIS head into this clash having seen BTTS in four of their last five, so back goals here.

The visitors have seen both teams score in 12 consecutive matches, while Universidad Catolica have netted in their previous 10 home games.

Bryne have won three of their five home games and are in good nick at present so should be able to get the better of these opponents.

Flamengo have impressed so far and have scored in seven successive games, while Bayern Munich have conceded in their last two fixtures, although keeping the Bavarian side at bay is unlikely.

Stromgodset have lost eight of 10 league games this term, including all five home matches. Valerenga have won two of their last four trips, so back them to secure maximum points on Sunday.

Tecnico are bottom of the table, having lost five of their last six matches. The hosts have also seen BTTS land in five of those six games, while both sides have scored in the visitors’ last four away trips.

PSG have won to nil in five of their last six competitive games and have only allowed their opponents five shots on target in their three Club World Cup outings, while Inter Miami lost all three group games on expected goals.

PSG have only conceded one goal in their last six competitive matches, scoring an average of 2.33 goals per game across this period, while Inter Miami conceded twice against Palmeiras last time out.

Bayern Munich are huge favourites to win this tie, despite their shock defeat to Benfica. That is Die Bayern’s only defeat in their last ten games, and a repeat of their 2-1 win over Boca Juniors could be on the cards.

Tecnico are bottom of the table, having lost five of their last six matches. The hosts have also seen BTTS land in five of those six games, while both sides have scored in the visitors’ last four away trips.

Bayern Munich are huge favourites to win this tie, despite their shock defeat to Benfica. That is Die Bayern’s only defeat in their last ten games. Flamengo have impressed so far and have scored in seven successive games, while Bayern Munich have conceded in their last two fixtures, so back the Brazilian outfit to score in a defeat.

Michael Olise has scored three goals in the Club World Cup so far and has found the net in six of his last seven appearances for Bayern Munich, contributing seven goals and six assists in this period.

Under 2.5 goals is recommended when Columbus Crew face Philadelphia Union. Eight of the last ten MLS meetings in Columbus have gone under this line. Despite the last clash producing four goals, low-scoring encounters have been typical, with Philadelphia also conceding just 0.78 goals per away game this season.

Montse Tome’s side look to have a much easier group that contains Italy, Portugal and Belgium, especially as they put 19 goals past the latter two in four Nations League meetings this season. Spain have demonstrated they know how to bottle a winning formula and they look strong candidates to add to their trophy collection.

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.

James: Benfica have proven hard to beat at the Club World Cup, so expect them to cause problems for a Chelsea side who have underwhelmed at the tournament.

Jamie: England have tweaked their side in the knockout rounds, which has resulted in wins over Spain and the Netherlands. Back that run to continue with a win over Germany.

Joe: Montreal have lost 12 of their last 19 games, while they’ve also been dismal in front of goal. Back New York City to build on an impressive display against Atlanta last time out.

Ian: San Diego top the Western Conference and they head into this clash with four wins from five. Dallas have struggled at home and they’ve won once in their last eight starts.

Aaron: Albirex Niigata have struggled this term, but they’ve won their last two at home to give them a boost ahead of this clash. The hosts have scored in each of their previous five home league games, while Machida Zelvia have conceded in each of their last six trips. However, the visitors have scored in all eight visits to sides below them, so back goals at even money.

Dan: Bayern lost to Benfica in their last game and they could struggle against Group D winners Flamengo.