Real Sociedad claimed their first win of the season against Espanyol last time out and can follow that up with another three points against out-of-sorts Celta. The visitors have just one point to show from three games and have scored just one goal, back them to lose and fail to score at the Anoeta.

Lille have four points from two games so far and they came close to beating champions PSG last time out. Les Dogues have won their last four games against Toulouse and can claim maximum points on Thursday against a side who have just one point on the board after two games. Toulouse looked reasonably sharp in attack in their 2-2 draw with Brest last time out and can grab a consolation strike in front of their own fans.

Both teams have scored in five straight Hearts games across all comps and Hibs have scored and conceded in all three of their Premiership games. Both of these sides are in decent form as Hibs have scored exactly twice in four of their last seven games and in back-to-back Premiership fixtures. Hearts have scored exactly twice in three consecutive fixtures so these sides look capable of combining for at least four goals.

Nordsjaelland have started the season in impressive form. After taking a point in their season opener, they’ve won their next four league games and are on a nine-game winning streak across all competitions. The visitors look capable of beating FC Copenhagen, who have failed to score in two of their last four and lost 2-1 at this venue when these sides last met.

Lugano have a perfect record at home this season with five wins in as many games across all comps. They can make it six in a row against Servette, who have lost two of their opening four league games.

Toluca are on a three-game winning run and have won their last two meetings with Leon by an aggregate score of 8-3. Toluca are unbeaten in five against their opponents, with three wins, and they can win this semi-final tie inside 90 minutes.

Club America are on a four-game winning run and are unbeaten in their last 12 in normal time across all competitions. Club America have won their last two meetings with Monterrey and can claim a victory in this Leagues Cup semi-final against a side who have two defeats in their last three games.

Club America are on a four-game winning run and are unbeaten in their last 12 in normal time across all competitions. Club America have won their last two meetings with Monterrey and can claim a victory in this Leagues Cup semi-final against a side who have two defeats in their last three games.

Real Sociedad claimed their first win of the season against Espanyol last time out and can follow that up with another three points against out-of-sorts Celta. The visitors have just one point to show from three games and have scored just one goal, they also lost 3-1 when they visited the Anoeta last season.

Nordsjaelland have started the season in impressive form. After taking a point in their season opener, they’ve won their next four league games and are on a nine-game winning streak across all competitions. The visitors look capable of beating FC Copenhagen, who have failed to score in two of their last four and lost 2-1 at this venue when these sides last met. 

Lille have four points from two games so far and they came close to beating champions PSG last time out. Les Dogues have won their last four games against Toulouse and can claim maximum points on Thursday against a side who have just one point on the board after two games.

Lugano have a perfect record at home this season with five wins in as many games across all comps. They can make it six in a row against Servette, who have lost two of their opening four league games.

These teams have been involved in some high-scoring games in the early stages of the season, Sion have played 11 games this term across all competitions and at least four goals have been scored in eight of those. Four of Basel’s last five games have gone over 3.5 goals.

Anderlecht have scored more than once in all four of their home games this season across all comps, and more than twice in three of those games. Kortrijk have made a miserable start and have conceded three goals in all three of their league games, so the hosts can score heavily here.

Both teams have scored in five straight Hearts games across all comps and Hibs have scored and conceded in all three of their Premiership games. Both of these sides are in decent form as Hibs have scored exactly twice in four of their last seven games and in back-to-back Premiership fixtures. Hearts have scored exactly twice in three consecutive fixtures so these sides look capable of combining for at least four goals.

Real Sociedad claimed their first win of the season against Espanyol last time out and can follow that up with another three points against out-of-sorts Celta. The visitors have just one point to show from three games and have scored just one goal, they also lost 3-1 when they visited the Anoeta last season.

The Edinburgh Derby is a fixture that tends to produce goals at both ends, with both teams scoring in six of the last eight meetings between these sides. Both teams have scored in five straight Hearts games across all comps and Hibs have scored and conceded in all three of their Premiership games. 

Lille have four points from two games so far and they came close to beating champions PSG last time out. Les Dogues have won their last four games against Toulouse and can claim maximum points on Thursday against a side who have just one point on the board after two games.

Real Sociedad claimed their first win of the season against Espanyol last time out and can follow that up with another three points against out-of-sorts Celta. The visitors have just one point to show from three games and have scored just one goal, they also lost 3-1 when they visited the Anoeta last season. Celta have scored just one goal across their three games and have conceded twice in each of their last two, while Sociedad scored on average just under two goals per game at home last season and struck twice against Espanyol last time out so a 2-0 home win stands out here.

Both of these sides are in decent form and it could be hard to separate them. Hibs have scored exactly twice in four of their last seven games and in back-to-back Premiership fixtures. Hearts have scored exactly twice in three consecutive fixtures, including a pair of 2-2 draws.

Veteran forward Olivier Giroud has one goal for the season for Lille and he provided assists for both of their goals against PSG. Giroud had a couple of chances himself against the Parisians, and he can get back among the goals with an anytime effort for the visitors on Thursday.

Hibs forward Martin Boyle has two goals in as many Premiership games this season and has three goals across all competitions. The Australian was on target when these sides last met at Easter Road back in April and he can get on the scoresheet on Thursday.

Orri Oskarsson opened his account for the season at the weekend and was in decent scoring form over the summer with three pre-season strikes. The Iceland international hit nine La Liga goals for Sociedad last term, including four in his final five games, and he can grab a goal against Celta.

With home advantage Toulouse can keep things close but still look likely to fall short. Lille have scored exactly two goals in both of their games so far, while Toulouse looked reasonably sharp in attack in their 2-2 draw with Brest last time out and can at least strike in defeat.

With home advantage Toulouse can keep things close but still look likely to fall short. Lille have scored exactly two goals in both of their games so far, while Toulouse looked reasonably sharp in attack in their 2-2 draw with Brest last time out and can at least strike in defeat.

The Edinburgh Derby is a fixture that tends to produce goals at both ends, with both teams scoring in six of the last eight meetings between these sides. Both teams have scored in five straight Hearts games across all comps and Hibs have scored and conceded in all three of their Premiership games.

Real Sociedad claimed their first win of the season against Espanyol last time out and can follow that up with another three points against out-of-sorts Celta. The visitors have just one point to show from three games and have scored just one goal, they also lost 3-1 when they visited the Anoeta last season.

City aren’t quite right yet under Enzo Maresca. They may well come good but Lens away was arguably the worst road trip from Pot 4 while Napoli and Leipzig represent stern tests from Pot 3. And then there’s PSG and Barcelona. Altogether a tough test.

The home game against Bodo/Glimt and trip to Slavia ought to be the bedrock of a campaign in which Dino Toppmoller’s impressive group – who have already beaten PSG in the French Champions Trophy – can emerge successfully.

Barcelona could easily lose in Paris, legitimately drop points at Galatasaray and at home to Man City. One more slip and the top eight could feasibly elude them.

Arsenal were flawless 12 months ago and should have no difficulty getting to the 16 points which are probably required.

BVB came close to the top eight last season and have a great draw this year with Betis, AEK Athens, Sabah and even Inter Milan at home looks winnable.

PSV’s hammerings of Napoli and Liverpool last term were rare highs in an otherwise disappointing campaign. This season’s draw looks far kindlier for Peter Bosz and his Eredivisie big-hitters.

And finally – and this is trusting PSV to get to the last 16 as a bare minimum – how about the Dutch side’s American frontman Ricardo Pepe.

Eindhoven boss Peter Bosz was delighted to see Pepe stay this summer and the 23-year-old is already among the goals in the Eredivisie.

Pepe scored 19 times for PSV last season and in a side who will score plenty of goals in the mood, especially at home, he again could outrun his odds.

Top goalscorer betting in the Champions League invites each-way bets given the number of potential runners with so many teams looking to get 10, 12 maybe even more games under their belts.

Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy took full advantage of that in the first instalment of the new-look Champions League in 2024/24.

Again, the German powerhouses only reached the quarter-finals but in that time the Guinea international popped in 13 goals, tying top-scorer honours for the competition with Raphinha of Barcelona.

He scored 22 goals for Dortmund last term and is a major threat in this market at a fancy price.

Kylian Mbappe had an explosive World Cup winning the Golden Boot with 10 goals.

That followed a season in which he scored 42 goals for Real Madrid – plus several more for France – and he has started this season with a hat-trick in his second club game, a 4-1 win over Sociedad.

Mbappe fired off 18 shots in his first two games for Real this season and will rack up chances. And if he racks up chances he racks up goals, quite likely enough to win the Golden Boot.

It is desperately hard to make a case for sides outside the top six.

Inter Milan, possibly, at 28-1 or Atletico at 40-1 given Diego Simeone’s men have become such a major player in Europe.

Three-figure runners are clearly easier to ignore but PSV have a puncher’s chance and will be desperate to avenge last season’s flop when they finished 28th in the league phase despite scoring more goals than Man City.

This was a team capable of thrashing Napoli 6-2 and Liverpool (away) 4-1, but a 3-0 loss at Newcastle in between home losses to Atletico and Bayern did for them. This time round, their draw looks far easier and if nine points is the benchmark then it is easy enough to see them getting those from home games against Brugge and Shakhtar with a trip to newcomers Viking a massive plus.

Peter Bosz has held on to last season’s top scorer Ricardo Pepi and added defensive quality in Filip Kostic and Lutsharel Geertruida.

Guus Til, Sergino Dest and Ivan Perisic are big players in a team who should make the top 24 and, with a kindly draw, have a slim chance of outrunning their odds.

The final is in Madrid next spring and a Madrid side may well be there.

Real, 15-time winners, were quarter-finalists last year when they went out in a shooting spree against Bayern Munich and they look better equipped this time.

Jose Mourinho, a two-time winner of the tournament with two different clubs, is back at the helm and whether or not that is a positive will forever be debated.

But just look at the group of players at The Special One’s disposal.

That front three of Jude Bellingham playing in and around Vinicius Junior and the extraordinary Kylian Mbappe, with any of Arda Guler, Endrick, Yan Diomande, Rodrygo and so on and so on, makes mouths water.

Mourinho has also looked to improve them defensively though the likes of full-backs Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella will do far more bombing forward than sitting back in this team.

You’ll never win anything challenging on two fronts, they said. You’ll never win anything playing the way you do, they sniped.

Arsenal proved the doubters wrong with the latter, almost wrong with the former and stronger this season than they were last, expect the Gunners to have a real shot at going one better in Europe.

Mikel Arteta’s men were simply fabulous in the Champions League last year, winning all eight group games – 3-1 wins over Inter Milan and Bayern and a 4-0 drubbing of Atletico the highlights – and gutsily squeezing past Leverkusen, Sporting and Atletico before succumbing to PSG in the final in Budapest.

That game finished 1-1 and went to penalties but we all know it was a mismatch.

Arteta knows, therefore, the gap between his side and PSG needs to close and shrewd summer transfer work might have enabled him to do that.

The arrivals of Ezri Konsa, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis add quality and, critically, depth and if Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka can stay injury free – something the Norwegian wasn’t often enough – then there is everything to like about this most solid of groups.

You absolutely can challenge on two fronts – Arsenal have proved that and bear a Premier League winner’s rosette as proof.

The next step is conquering Europe and having come so close on May 30 take them to get it right this time.

After leading Manchester United to the Europa League final in 2025, Ruben Amorim is aiming to go one better with new side AC Milan.

The Rossoneri have literally bought into Amorim’s tactical approach, breaking their transfer record to sign Goncalo Ramos to lead the line. They’ve also spent £42million on Diego Moreira, a winger converted to a wing-back at Strasbourg.

Amorim can lean on the experience of Luka Modric in midfield and Mike Maignan in goal, while the club have some young talents who look suited to Amorim’s approach in Davide Bartesaghi and Alphadjo Cisse.

While Amorim underwhelmed in England, his United side secured some impressive European results, as did his Sporting outfit. Armed with one of the stronger squads in Europe’s second-tier competition, Amorim can help Milan lift this trophy for the first time.

Read our full Europa League outright preview

Monaco have spent the last couple of seasons in the Champions League, losing 5-4 on aggregate to PSG in last season’s knockouts.

They’ve appointed former Flamengo boss Filipe Luiz as their new manager, and the former Chelsea defender has an impressive track record. He led the Brazilian side to their domestic title, and brought continental success in the Copa Libertadores.

Strasbourg reached the last four of the Conference League last term, and this Monaco side are capable of going even further under a highly-rated young manager.

Read our full Conference League outright preview

Arsenal won all eight of their League Phase games last season, before seeing off Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon and Atletico Madrid in the knockouts to reach the final.

The Gunners lost on penalties to PSG in Budapest, but they’re well-positioned for another strong showing in Europe.

Arsenal’s squad depth helped them balance their Champions League run alongside their Premier League success, and they’ve added Ezri Konsa, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis this summer.

Last season’s title success should shed some of the tension that has gripped Arsenal in big moments, and they’ll hope Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka can stay fit enough to add cutting edge in the final third.

Defensively, the Gunners look like the strongest side in the competition, and they’ve gone a step further year-on-year in Europe across the previous three seasons.

Read our full Champions League outright preview

After leading Manchester United to the Europa League final in 2025, Ruben Amorim is aiming to go one better with new side AC Milan.

The Rossoneri have literally bought into Amorim’s tactical approach, breaking their transfer record to sign Goncalo Ramos to lead the line. They’ve also spent £42million on Diego Moreira, a winger converted to a wing-back at Strasbourg.

Amorim can lean on the experience of Luka Modric in midfield and Mike Maignan in goal, while the club have some young talents who look suited to Amorim’s approach in Davide Bartesaghi and Alphadjo Cisse.

While Amorim underwhelmed in England, his United side secured some impressive European results, as did his Sporting outfit. Armed with one of the stronger squads in Europe’s second-tier competition, Amorim can help Milan lift this trophy for the first time.

Read our full Europa League outright preview

Monaco have spent the last couple of seasons in the Champions League, losing 5-4 on aggregate to PSG in last season’s knockouts.

They’ve appointed former Flamengo boss Filipe Luiz as their new manager, and the former Chelsea defender has an impressive track record. He led the Brazilian side to their domestic title, and brought continental success in the Copa Libertadores.

Strasbourg reached the last four of the Conference League last term, and this Monaco side are capable of going even further under a highly-rated young manager.

Read our full Conference League outright preview