Malmo have made a perfect start to the season with four wins from as many games, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one in the process. The visitors should have too much for Djurgarden here but the hosts can at least get on the scoresheet having hit five goals across two home games so far.

Kalmar picked up their first win of the season last time out and can back that up with another win over promoted GAIS, who have scored just two goals across their four games so far.

Over 2.5 goals has landed in three of Elfsborg’s four games and in two of Norrkoping’s. Both of these defences look vulnerable and as such these teams should be able to combine for at least three goals.

Promoted Vasteras SK have struggled with the step up and have four defeats in as many games, while they are yet to score in this competition. Mjallby have made a solid start to their league campaign with seven points from four games and they can claim maximum points here.

The Mavericks’ 16-2 run down the stretch proved they can be a postseason force. They’ve got the best backcourt in the West, while defensive upgrades in February have made them really hard to stop. The Mavs have become very efficient offensively in the back-half of the campaign and in Luka Doncic they boast a near unstoppable offensive force, alongside NBA champion Kyrie Irving.

The Knicks are great outsiders to win the Eastern Conference but backing them each-way for the title offers a better return. The Knicks were second in the regular season and they’ve improved since adding OG Anunoby midway through the campaign. The former Toronto Raptor has been on a title-winning roster, while he’s a solid postseason option and a defensive superstar. The Knicks have Jalen Brunson in the form of his life, so they’re fantastic outsiders to win the East.

The Timberwolves’ huge frontcourt is fancied to cause problems for a Suns side who lack the defensive options for a long postseason run. The Suns have struggled to impress in the last couple of playoff runs and they finished eight games behind a Timberwolves side who were the clear best side in the West before Karl-Anthony Towns went down with injury. With Towns back to fitness, back Minnesota to progress.

The Mavericks are flying right now and they meet an LA Clippers side who have gone cold. The Clippers roster is packed with players known for shrinking in the postseason and their star man Kawhi Leonard is an injury doubt.

The Bucks had a shaky finish to the season and they lost four of five meetings with Indiana this season. The Pacers’ chances will be boosted by the news that Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss out early in this series.

The Magic have all the tools to expose this Cavs side and they rank third defensively this term, which bodes well for the postseason. Cleveland lost 15 of their final 25 games this season, with their roster lacking cohesiveness and rumours swirling that star man Donovan Mitchell is heading for the exit.

The Bucks had a shaky finish to the season and they lost four of five meetings with Indiana this season. The Pacers’ chances will be boosted by the news that Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss out early in this series. His return could drag things out, but the Pacers should progress.

The Magic have all the tools to expose this Cavs side and they rank third defensively this term, which bodes well for the postseason. Cleveland lost 15 of their final 25 games this season, with their roster lacking cohesiveness and rumours swirling that star man Donovan Mitchell is heading for the exit. The pair split the regular season series 2-2, but that was before the Cavs fell apart in the run-in.

The fact the Masters was followed by one of the PGA Tour’s designated events means many of the biggest names are taking a break this week, but that provides opportunities for others and Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatrois are in the sort of form that suggests a strong team at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Theegala found only the unstoppable Scottie Scheffler too strong for him at last week’s RBC Heritage and that was his fifth top-ten finish of the year.

Zalatoris continues to make progress too after missing a large portion of 2023 with a back injury.

Those issues seem to be behind him now and while his Heritage campaign faded after a promising start, he was ninth at the Masters and has also performed well at other big tournaments, claiming top-five spots at the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He flourished in this unusual format when he was fourth alongside Riley two years ago and could have partnered him again last year had he not been injured, so that should provide extra motivation.

Scheffler won the Hero World Challenge at the end of 2023 and he heads into the new year with his work to improve his putting already reaping rewards. With form figures of 19-18-1-10 at Augusta, that improvement makes him among the leading contenders. 

McIlroy has an excellent record at the US PGA, winning the tournament twice. He has already won this tournament at Valhalla Golf Club – which is this year’s venue. That added edge should see him end his Majors draught at the US PGA this summer. 

Johnston won the US Open in 2016, a year after a second-place finish at the tournament. Overall he has seven top 10 finishes to his name at this event, including another one in 2023. Back him to lift his third Major title, having won the last time it was held at Pinehurst.

Schauffele is the final selection having been second at the 2018 Open, while he was victorious at the Scottish Open in 2022. He’s finished inside the top 20 in four of his six Open appearances and his great links golf record makes him a standout at this event. With six of the last seven Open winners coming from the States, back Schauffele to continue that trend. 

The Gotemba course at the Taiheiyo Club is a typically tight Japanese track where accuracy and course management are key and while Bezuidenhout and Pavon deserve their place at the top of the market, it looks likely there will be a strong home challenge.

The chances are it will be led by Keita Nakajima, who leads the money list on the Japan Tour and claimed a four-shot victory in the last DP World Tour event, the Indian Open, at the end of March.

Nakajima is 23 but already has a wealthof experience and the knowledge he has gleaned from playing the Taiheiyo Masters, an event that has been played on the Japan Tour since 1977 at this venue, should give him a boost.

He demonstrated in Delhi that he can be a force at DPWT level and while his 20th on his course outing last year may not be spectacular, he was third here in 2020 and is capable of playing well again.

The fact the Masters was followed by one of the PGA Tour’s designated events means many of the biggest names are taking a break this week, but that provides opportunities for others and Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatrois are in the sort of form that suggests a strong team at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Theegala found only the unstoppable Scottie Scheffler too strong for him at last week’s RBC Heritage and that was his fifth top-ten finish of the year.

Zalatoris continues to make progress too after missing a large portion of 2023 with a back injury.

Those issues seem to be behind him now and while his Heritage campaign faded after a promising start, he was ninth at the Masters and has also performed well at other big tournaments, claiming top-five spots at the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He flourished in this unusual format when he was fourth alongside Riley two years ago and could have partnered him again last year had he not been injured, so that should provide extra motivation.

The Gotemba course at the Taiheiyo Club is a typically tight Japanese track where accuracy and course management are key and while Bezuidenhout and Pavon deserve their place at the top of the market, it looks likely there will be a strong home challenge.

The chances are it will be led by Keita Nakajima, who leads the money list on the Japan Tour and claimed a four-shot victory in the last DP World Tour event, the Indian Open, at the end of March.

Nakajima is 23 but already has a wealthof experience and the knowledge he has gleaned from playing the Taiheiyo Masters, an event that has been played on the Japan Tour since 1977 at this venue, should give him a boost.

He demonstrated in Delhi that he can be a force at DPWT level and while his 20th on his course outing last year may not be spectacular, he was third here in 2020 and is capable of playing well again.

Aryna Sabalenka had a year to remember in 2023 as she claimed her maiden Grand Slam title and moved up to world number one.

Sabalenka’s first Major came at the Australian Open and there is no reason to doubt her as she bids to defend her title and show why she should be considered the best female player on the planet.

The Belarusian’s hard-hitting style makes her extremely tough to beat when on song and she has been a model of consistency in Grand Slam events, having also finished runner-up at last season’s US Open and made at least the semi-final in six of her last nine Majors.

Iga Swiatek has a point to prove next season after being replaced by Sabalenka as world number one, so expect her to return to the court with a vengeance.

Swiatek is proving a formidable force on clay, having won the French Open in three of the last four seasons, and the Pole is likely to showcase her clay-court prowess once again and should take plenty of stopping in her Roland Garros title defence.

Things petered out for Elena Rybakina last season having started so positively with a runner-up effort at the Australian Open, but the classy Kazakh is likely to come back stronger and could regain her Wimbledon title.

Rybakina’s serving tailed off at the end of last season but she was crowned Wimbledon champion in 2022 and then she made the quarter-final in her title defence, which highlights her grass-court credentials.

With Swiatek yet to deliver her best on grass, the All England Club may be the perfect place for the world number four to showcase her talents.

This season’s US Open was further evidence that home players have a significant advantage in front of passionate support and American ace Coco Gauff could be tough to thwart in her title defence.

Gauff thrived on hard courts last season and showed great character throughout her US Open adventure, which included a come-from-behind win over newly-crowned world number one Sabalenka in the final.

The 19-year-old could go from strength to strength after her landmark win and it’s tough to forget that she lost only one of her final 19 matches of the 2023 campaign.

Novak Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam titles last season to take his Major haul to 24, showing at 36 years of age that he still has plenty left to offer.

Djokovic was crowned Australian Open champion for a tenth time last season and, having won the Melbourne title in four of the last five years, he should take plenty of stopping as he is rarely undercooked for the opening Major of the campaign.

Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are unlikely to have things their own way all season and they may be at their most vulnerable at the French Open, where there appears to be plenty of strength in depth amongst the clay-court performers.

With King of Clay Rafael Nadal having struggled for recent appearances, Danish youngster Holger Rune may pose the most serious test and he did claim the 2019 French Open boys’ singles title.

Rune’s two French Open main draw appearances have resulted in runs to the quarter-final while at 20 years of age he is already a four-time finalist on the clay.

Djokovic had won Wimbledon on four straight occasions prior to losing to Alcaraz in last season’s final, but Jannik Sinner may be ready to serve it up to the big two this year.

The big-serving Sinner appears to have a game well-suited to the grass, having made the quarter-final in 2022 and gone one better on his way to the semi-finals last season.

The impressive Italian was no match for Djokovic in the last four but the 22-year-old is still open to plenty of improvement and claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title in Canada should have installed him with the belief to challenge for Grand Slam silverware.

Alcaraz already has two Grand Slam titles to his name despite being only 20 and the Spanish sensation looks certain to add plenty of big successes to his CV in the years to come, starting with another US Open title.

The Murcia man lifted his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows two years ago and although beaten in the semi-final by Daniil Medvedev last season, that setback looks set to spur him on to even loftier heights.

Aryna Sabalenka had a year to remember in 2023 as she claimed her maiden Grand Slam title and moved up to world number one.

Sabalenka’s first Major came at the Australian Open and there is no reason to doubt her as she bids to defend her title and show why she should be considered the best female player on the planet.

The Belarusian’s hard-hitting style makes her extremely tough to beat when on song and she has been a model of consistency in Grand Slam events, having also finished runner-up at last season’s US Open and made at least the semi-final in six of her last nine Majors.

Iga Swiatek has a point to prove next season after being replaced by Sabalenka as world number one, so expect her to return to the court with a vengeance.

Swiatek is proving a formidable force on clay, having won the French Open in three of the last four seasons, and the Pole is likely to showcase her clay-court prowess once again and should take plenty of stopping in her Roland Garros title defence.

Things petered out for Elena Rybakina last season having started so positively with a runner-up effort at the Australian Open, but the classy Kazakh is likely to come back stronger and could regain her Wimbledon title.

Rybakina’s serving tailed off at the end of last season but she was crowned Wimbledon champion in 2022 and then she made the quarter-final in her title defence, which highlights her grass-court credentials.

With Swiatek yet to deliver her best on grass, the All England Club may be the perfect place for the world number four to showcase her talents.

This season’s US Open was further evidence that home players have a significant advantage in front of passionate support and American ace Coco Gauff could be tough to thwart in her title defence.

Gauff thrived on hard courts last season and showed great character throughout her US Open adventure, which included a come-from-behind win over newly-crowned world number one Sabalenka in the final.

The 19-year-old could go from strength to strength after her landmark win and it’s tough to forget that she lost only one of her final 19 matches of the 2023 campaign.

Novak Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam titles last season to take his Major haul to 24, showing at 36 years of age that he still has plenty left to offer.

Djokovic was crowned Australian Open champion for a tenth time last season and, having won the Melbourne title in four of the last five years, he should take plenty of stopping as he is rarely undercooked for the opening Major of the campaign.

Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are unlikely to have things their own way all season and they may be at their most vulnerable at the French Open, where there appears to be plenty of strength in depth amongst the clay-court performers.

With King of Clay Rafael Nadal having struggled for recent appearances, Danish youngster Holger Rune may pose the most serious test and he did claim the 2019 French Open boys’ singles title.

Rune’s two French Open main draw appearances have resulted in runs to the quarter-final while at 20 years of age he is already a four-time finalist on the clay.

Djokovic had won Wimbledon on four straight occasions prior to losing to Alcaraz in last season’s final, but Jannik Sinner may be ready to serve it up to the big two this year.

The big-serving Sinner appears to have a game well-suited to the grass, having made the quarter-final in 2022 and gone one better on his way to the semi-finals last season.

The impressive Italian was no match for Djokovic in the last four but the 22-year-old is still open to plenty of improvement and claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title in Canada should have installed him with the belief to challenge for Grand Slam silverware.

Alcaraz already has two Grand Slam titles to his name despite being only 20 and the Spanish sensation looks certain to add plenty of big successes to his CV in the years to come, starting with another US Open title.

The Murcia man lifted his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows two years ago and although beaten in the semi-final by Daniil Medvedev last season, that setback looks set to spur him on to even loftier heights.

Man City have wobbled a little lately, following their Champions League exit with an unconvincing FA Cup win over Chelsea, but they are ruthless in the Premier League and should edge Brighton in a low-scoring contest.

Feyenoord have scored three in each of their last two meetings with Go Ahead Eagles. The Rotterdam outfit have scored at least three goals in four of their last seven games and could run riot here against a side who are winless in three.

Over 2.5 goals has landed in three of Elfsborg’s four games and in two of Norrkoping’s. Both of these defences look vulnerable and as such these teams should be able to combine for at least three goals.

Malmo have made a perfect start to the season with four wins from as many games, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one in the process. The visitors should have too much for Djurgarden here but the hosts can at least get on the scoresheet having hit five goals across two home games so far.

Both teams have scored in four of Union SG’s last five games and they have conceded in all of those, shipping eight goals in four games since the Belgian league split. Antwerp have conceded five goals across their last four but have only failed to score in two of their last 17 home games, so we’re expecting goals at both ends in this clash.

Both teams have scored in four of Union SG’s last five games and they have conceded in all of those, shipping eight goals in four games since the Belgian league split. Antwerp have conceded five goals across their last four but have only failed to score in two of their last 17 home games, so we’re expecting goals at both ends in this clash.

Brighton have drawn blanks on only two occasions at home in the Premier League this season and should breach Manchester City. The visitors have only failed to score in one of their last 29 games so both teams look capable of scoring here.

Man City have wobbled a little lately, following their Champions League exit with an unconvincing FA Cup win over Chelsea, but they are ruthless in the Premier League and should edge Brighton in a low-scoring contest. The Seagulls rarely draw a blank at home and can keep this game competitive, so we fancy a 2-1 win for the visitors.

Feyenoord have scored three in each of their last two meetings with Go Ahead Eagles, while they have kept clean sheets in each of their last four competitive matches. A 3-0 winning score therefore draws the most appeal.

Neither of these teams have anything to play for here and a goal-fest could be the result. Over 3.5 goals has landed in four of Adelaide United’s last five away games and in three of Brisbane Roar’s last five at home.

Bayern Munich pushed Man City the closest of any of their Champions League opponents last term and the German side have addressed the issues which cost them. Harry Kane adds a new dimension to their attack while in Kim Min-jae they’ve added an elite defender who can perform on the biggest stage. Man City’s summer business has at best left them standing still, so look to a Bayern side who have closed the gap.

Shamrock Rovers have hit form but they’ve still seen both teams score in four of their last five games. Shelbourne top the table after an encouraging start and they’ve scored in all but one of their home games this season.

Cheltenham are on the verge of the drop but they’ve been scoring of late, with BTTS landing in six of their last seven matches. The hosts have lost five on the spin at home despite scoring in four of those games and they’re likely to be outgunned by Posh.

Crystal Palace thumped West Ham 5-2 at the weekend but they meet a Newcastle side who have scored twice or more in 10 of their last 13 league matches.

Brighton have scored in 17 of their 19 home matches across all competitions this term and five of the last six encounters between these two sides have seen both teams score. With BTTS landing in five of City’s last six and given how shaky they looked in their win over Chelsea, goals should be on the cards.

These sides have shipped a combined 133 goals this season and they are both chasing a win as the threat of relegation looms. Salernitana have conceded more goals than any other Serie A side this term, but BTTS has landed in three of their last four trips.

Man United’s 3-3 draw with Coventry was their sixth consecutive game in which both teams have scored, with 30 goals scored in that run. Burnley won 4-1 at Sheffield United at the weekend and they have now scored in six of their last seven games.

These two played out an entertaining 2-2 draw when they last met and Spurs are likely to be even more adventurous at home. Both teams have scored in Tottenham’s last 12 home league games, so this derby should feature plenty of thrills and spills.