Red Star’s promotion hopes have taken a hit after an inconsistent run but the visit of mid-table Pau offers a chance to get back to winning ways. The Parisian club are on a six-game unbeaten run at home and have drawn a few games they probably should have won during that period. Pau have been in mixed form on their travels with just three wins in their last eight trips, and they look set to fall short in the capital on Friday.

Both of these teams have started to put runs together as they bid to pull clear of danger. Boulogne have seven points from the last available nine, while Rodez are on a six-game unbeaten run. Both teams have scored in Rodez’s last eight league games and that pattern could continue here, as Boulogne have scored in 10 of their last 11 games but have managed just two clean sheets during that run.

Home advantage could be key in this match-up between two teams looking to break into the promotion spots. Dunkerque have three wins in their last five at home and Guingamp have been inconsistent travellers with 14 points from 10 trips, losing two of their last three away. EAG have scored in 10 of their last 11 trips and can strike in defeat.

Annecy are in form with three straight wins and they should be able to make it four in a row against Grenoble, who sit in mid-table but are one of the worst travellers in the division with six defeats in 10 trips.

Bottom club Bastia have picked up lately but are unlikely to get any joy at title hopefuls Reims. The hosts have won their last four home games and have conceded just one goal in the process, while Bastia have scored a measly four goals in 10 road games. Take Reims to win without conceding.

Toronto deserves favourite status, especially at home, but the Bulls can keep it tight. Chicago force teams like the Raptors to get uncomfortable because they are happy to trade buckets. This is a team with postseason ambitions after acquiring Jaden Ivey and a prime opportunity to make a statement.

San Antonio is playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back, however this has not been an issue this year as they’ve won 6 of 9 games in this scenario. Dallas shipped out Anthony Davis to Washington, sending out a clear signal that they’ve pretty much given up on this season and are going to tank the rest of the way. Rookie Cooper Flagg has been on fire over the past 3 games on offense, but he alone cannot beat this Spurs team. Take San Antonio to cover.

Philly is on the rise with 5 wins in a row, it all comes down to Joel Embiid in Thursday’s game against the Lakers. LA returns home after more than 2 weeks of being away, they’ve gone 5-3 SU in their 8 game road trip, however their starting center Jaxson Hayes will be suspended here. That’s a big blow for an already thin front line, if Embiid is playing like he has been during the month of January the Lakers are in trouble here.

Philly is on the rise with 5 wins in a row, it all comes down to Joel Embiid in Thursday’s game against the Lakers. LA returns home after more than 2 weeks of being away, they’ve gone 5-3 SU in their 8 game road trip, however their starting center Jaxson Hayes will be suspended here. That’s a big blow for an already thin front line, if Embiid is playing like he has been during the month of January the Lakers are in trouble here.

FEBRUARY –  The Texans’ suffocating defence has been the key to their eight-game winning run and with the AFC looking the less competitive conference this season after the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs, they have the talent to go a long way. Quarterback CJ Stroud is fully fit again and can look for an elite wide receiver in Nico Collins while former first-round picks Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. are just two of their many defensive stars.

JULY – Elena Rybakina looks a bet in her bid to repeat her 2022 triumph at the All England Club. The Kazakhstani has had a tough couple of years, due in the main to off-court issues, but she finished last year on a high with victory at the WTA Finals. She’s a superb grass-court player who is as good as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek when she’s on her game.

JULY – Alex Noren enjoyed a resurgence in his career in 2025, winning twice on the DP World Tour, and 2026 could finally be the year he ends his long wait for a maiden Major. The Swede has an affinity for links golf, evidenced by his victory at the 2016 Scottish Open and his two top-10 Open finishes, he could go all the way and land the Claret Jug in 2026.

DECEMBER – Mercedes may have botched the ground-effect era, but the Silver Arrows have a strong record of responding well to rule changes, and the sweeping regulation shift coming in 2026 should bring the title back into play. Their power unit has already come under, and been cleared, of scrutiny, suggesting it is likely to be among the strongest engines on the grid, and they have the driver lineup to win the consistent points necessary to land the constructor crown.

The Patriots were struggling before the snow fell at Empower Field at Mile High. Mike Vrabel’s team looked poor on offence and that is not a good sign ahead of their matchup with the best defence in the NFL. New England have done incredibly well to turn their fortunes around in just one year, but their offence is simply not good enough to live with the Seattle defence. Seattle have done everything right for the last two months after reeling off nine consecutive wins and they should cover the spread in San Francisco.

The Patriots’ resolute defence will give Kenneth Walker III some problems, but he should be able to relieve the pressure on quarterback Sam Darnold and pick up some valuable receiving yards. Walker III will get the majority of carries due to an injury to Zach Charbonnet. He caught four passes for 49 yards last week against the Rams to make it three games in his last five that he has surpassed 25 receiving yards.

Wellington look worth the risk as underdogs against the out-of-sorts Melbourne Victory. Phoenix have just one defeat in five and are unbeaten in three at home, while Victory have three losses in their last four away from home.

Macarthur crushed Melbourne City 6-2 in their last home game and can follow that up with three points against Perth Glory, who have lost back-to-back away games.

Macarthur crushed Melbourne City 6-2 in their last home game and can follow that up with three points against Perth Glory, who have lost back-to-back away games.

Goals at both ends has been a regular occurrence in Leeds’ home games with eight of their last 10 at Elland Road seeing both teams score. Leeds have scored themselves in 10 of their 12 home games, while Forest have scored in six of their last eight games across all competitions so both of these teams look capable of getting on the scoresheet.

Both of these teams have started to put runs together as they bid to pull clear of danger. Boulogne have seven points from the last available nine, while Rodez are on a six-game unbeaten run. Both teams have scored in Rodez’s last eight league games and that pattern could continue here, as Boulogne have scored in 10 of their last 11 games but have managed just two clean sheets during that run.

Both teams have scored in three of Celta’s last four games, while Osasuna have seen goals at both ends in five of their last six and they have conceded in all of those games.

Serie A’s bottom two meet on Friday in a huge relegation six-pointer and it is hard to see either of these struggling defences keeping a clean sheet. Verona have shipped 41 goals in 23 games, while Pisa have fared marginally better with 40 conceded.

Union Berlin are winless in their last five league games, including back-to-back defeats. Although, Frankfurt have gone eight matches without a victory in all competitions, the appointment of new coach Albert Riera this week should have them back on their toes and winning again soon. Eintracht Frankfurt have the attacking potential to score a couple of goals at Stadion An der Alten Försterei. But they have been shipping goals far too regularly and are unlikely to keep a clean sheet.

Home advantage could be key in this match-up between two teams looking to break into the promotion spots. Dunkerque have three wins in their last five at home and Guingamp have been inconsistent travellers with 14 points from 10 trips, losing two of their last three away. EAG have scored in 10 of their last 11 trips and can strike in defeat.

Metz have lost three league games in a row and are without a key defender through suspension. They gave it a go in a 5-2 home loss to Lyon a fortnight ago and may take a similar approach against Lille. The visitors have not been scoring on the road, but have enough quality to exploit any space by outscoring the hosts.

Red Star’s promotion hopes have taken a hit after an inconsistent run but the visit of mid-table Pau offers a chance to get back to winning ways. The Parisian club are on a six-game unbeaten run at home and have drawn a few games they probably should have won during that period. Pau have been in mixed form on their travels with just three wins in their last eight trips, and they look set to fall short in the capital on Friday.

Goals at both ends has been a regular occurrence in Leeds’ home games with eight of their last 10 at Elland Road seeing both teams score. Leeds have scored themselves in 10 of their 12 home games, while Forest have scored in six of their last eight games across all competitions so both of these teams look capable of getting on the scoresheet.

Union Berlin are winless in their last five league games, including back-to-back defeats. Although, Frankfurt have gone eight matches without a victory in all competitions, the appointment of new coach Albert Riera this week should have them back on their toes and they can at least avoid defeat in the capital.

Charlton have not scored more than one goal at home since October and under 2.5 goals has been a winner in three of their last five home matches, while QPR’s last two on the road have ended goalless, with four of their last five trips going under 2.5 goals.

Metz have lost three league games in a row and are without a key defender through suspension. They gave it a go in a 5-2 home loss to Lyon a fortnight ago and may take a similar approach against Lille. The visitors have not been scoring on the road, but have enough quality to exploit any space by outscoring the hosts.

Granada have put together a four-game unbeaten run and they can put a bit more distance between themselves and the bottom three with a win at Leganes. Granada have three wins in their last five away, while Leganes have four defeats in their last seven at home and have two losses in their last three games overall.

Union Berlin are winless in their last five league games, including back-to-back defeats. Although, Frankfurt have gone eight matches without a victory in all competitions, the appointment of new coach Albert Riera this week should have them back on their toes and winning again soon.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is Leeds’ leading scorer with nine goals and is still making his presence felt in attack despite going three games without scoring. He can end his mini drought on Friday night.

Olivier Giroud scored in Lille’s Europa League win over Freiburg last week and looks primed to start.

Metz have lost three league games in a row and are without a key defender through suspension. They gave it a go in a 5-2 home loss to Lyon a fortnight ago and may take a similar approach against Lille. The visitors have not been scoring on the road, but have enough quality to exploit any space by outscoring the hosts and these sides look capable of combining for at least four goals. 

Charlton have not scored more than one goal at home since October and under 2.5 goals has been a winner in three of their last five home matches, while QPR’s last two on the road have ended goalless, with four of their last five trips going under 2.5 goals.

A point would probably be viewed as a positive result by both teams, particularly the visitors, and Leeds have had a lot of stalemates recently with six of their last 11 games finishing all square. Forest score on average exactly one goal per-game in the Premier League and the Leeds attack averages 1.3 goals, so a 1-1 draw has a chance.

Charlton have not scored more than one goal at home since October and under 2.5 goals has been a winner in three of their last five home matches, while QPR’s last two on the road have ended goalless, with four of their last five trips going under 2.5 goals. QPR have played out successive goalless draws away from home and four of their last five trips have ended all square, while only three teams have scored fewer home goals than Charlton this season. This game looks a contender for a bore draw.

Xavi Simons completed five line-breaking passes in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, the most of any player in a Premier League game this season, one of which was converted. As well as being a creative force, Simons has taken 18 shots in his last five matches and should be a constant threat to Manchester United’s defence tomorrow.

Wolves youngtser Matheus Mane has taken eight shots in his last two games and could be worth backing to muster at least another two against Chelsea tomorrow.

Harvey Barnes is Newcastle’s top scorer this season, bagging 12 goals in all competitions, nine of which have come at St James’ Park. Barnes has found the net four times in his last six league games against Brentford, including one in November’s reverse fixture, and he could sting the Bees once more on Tyneside.

Liverpool look like the best value pick, with the Reds putting their struggles behind them with an eight-game unbeaten run. The Reds have the fourth-best Expected Goals record across the first six Champions League gameweeks, while they’ve recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Europe. Arne Slot’s side have a kind double-header in January, leaving them primed for a top-eight finish. With the Premier League coasting towards a fifth Champions League berth, the Reds should be in a good position to focus on European success in the spring.

Spain have some incredibly talented individuals, Lamine Yamal being the prime example, but are strong in all areas and don’t have any particular weaknesses. They won Euro 2024 with relative ease and they should be too good for their continental rivals at the World Cup. They also look a level above South American heavyweights Argentina and Brazil, suggesting they will be the team to beat at the World Cup this summer.

Hull have lifted themselves to within sight of the Championship’s automatic promotion positions, and they can take a step closer with a fifth successive win against a managerless Watford outfit.The Hornets parted ways with Javia Gracia for the second time after their weekend defeat to Swansea left them winless in five, and the Tigers look primed to roar to victory on Tuesday.

Arsenal won a five-goal thriller in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, and another high-scoring affair is expected at the Emirates on Tuesday.Four or more goals have been scored in eight of the Gunners’ last ten fixtures and Chelsea have scored 19 goals in seven games since Liam Rosenior took charge, with five of these producing four or more goals.

Salford City’s 2-0 win at Tranmere on Saturday lifted them into the top three in the League Two table, and The Ammies can consolidate their promotion position with a fifth successive win on their travels.Accrington Stanley have admittedly looked a solid side of late, but they have lost to Salford’s fellow promotion hopefuls Bromley and MK Dons in their last five home matches and the quality of the visitors could shine through on Thursday.

Only Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim have scored more Bundesliga goals than Eintracht Frankfurt this season, but that comes at the cost of the worst defensive record in the division and their high-scoring ways should treat neutrals again on Friday.Both teams have scored in seven of their last eight games, for 13 goals scored and 21 conceded, while there have been goals at both ends in four of Union Berlin’s last five. Expect fireworks in Berlin.

Serie A’s bottom two get gameweek 24 underway in Italy, and underdogs Pisa could avoid dropping to the foot of the table against a Verona side that have taken just two points from the last 24 available.Pisa may be struggling for victories, but they have played out a league-high 11 stalemates, and they have only lost two of their last eight away days.

After starting the season with a long winless run at home, Celta Vigo have found their form at Estadio de Balaidos and look good value to score multiple goals for the fourth successive home game against Osasuna.The visitors sit ninth in the table, but only three La Liga teams have a worse away record than Los Rojillos, and they have conceded twice or more in four of their last seven away days.

Promotion-chasing Stockport County can pick up another three points on Saturday as they lock horns with a struggling Leyton Orient side that have lost three games on the spin.The Hatters are unbeaten in six matches and are on the hunt for a sixth successive home win, which they should achieve against an Orient outfit that have lost their last six away games by an aggregate scoreline of 16-3.

Lecce’s battle against Serie A relegation took another blow on Sunday as their winless run was extended to eight games, and little is expected of the league’s lowest scorers when they host Udinese.The Salentini have lost six of these eight winless matches and visitors Udinese have won their last two away assignments against Torino and Verona, while they have won their last four meetings with the struggling hosts.

Bayern Munich remain one of the most devastating attacking outfits in world football, and they can add another few goals to their burgeoning tally against the Bundesliga’s second-highest scorers.Die Bayern have notched an incredible 74 goals this season and have averaged four goals per game at the Allianz Arena. Hoffenheim shipped four to the Bavarian side in the reverse fixture and have conceded 18 goals in their last five meetings with the league leaders.

Volendam have the worst away record in the entire Eredivisie, and their winless record on the road looks set to continue in Zwolle.PEC  have won their last five home league games, and their out-of-sorts visitors are on an eight-game losing streak away from home in the Dutch top flight.The Hatters are unbeaten in six matches and are on the hunt for a sixth successive home win, which they should achieve against an Orient outfit that have lost their last six away games by an aggregate scoreline of 16-3.