These are two closely matched teams, but while Grimsby have been strong in recent away games, Salford’s home form has to be respected and they can come out on top but the Ammies may concede in victory.

Villa have scored in 10 consecutive home games across all competitions and can strike in defeat. The hosts have a Europa League final to come next week, while Liverpool are fully focused on their bid to secure a top five finish and that could prove the difference. The Reds have dominated this fixture since a 7-2 mauling here in 2020 with eight wins and no defeats in 11 meetings since, they can grind out a win and seal a place in the Champions League.

Home advantage should see Partick set up a final date with St Mirren after a 1-1 first leg. The Jags have been exceptional at home this season as their only defeat inside normal time at Firhill across all competitions came at the hands of Glasgow rivals Celtic way back in September. Thistle won three of the four Championship meetings between these sides, with one draw, and Dunfermline have three defeats and just two wins across their last eight road games. A home win to nil has a chance as Dunfermline have failed to score in three of the last four clashes between these sides. 

Both of these defences look suspect as Leuven have gone five games without a clean sheet, conceding 11 goals in that run, and Antwerp have shipped nine goals in their last four games. Both teams have scored in each of Antwerp’s last three away games and that pattern could continue on Friday.

Rodez beat St Etienne 2-1 in a reverse fixture recently but Les Verts are a far stronger team at home. The visitors are the side in form, however, so the better angle could be backing over 2.5 goals rather than a result. St Etienne hit five against Amiens in their last home game and at least three goals have been scored in each of their last four games at this venue. Over 2.5 goals has landed in five of Rodez’s last six games and they have scored themselves in nine of their last 10 games. Both sides should be able to combine for at least three goals.

Salford recovered from a nightmare start to take the advantage form the first leg of their playoff semi-final against Grimsby, but the Mariners have shown enough in recent away games to suggest they can contribute to a high-scoring game.

Notts County won the first leg of this League Two playoff 1-0, but the Spireites showed enough to suggest they can get back in the tie, so don’t be surprised if they come out on top at Meadow Lane.

Home advantage should see Partick set up a final date with St Mirren after a 1-1 first leg. The Jags have been exceptional at home this season as their only defeat inside normal time at Firhill across all competitions came at the hands of Glasgow rivals Celtic way back in September. Thistle won three of the four Championship meetings between these sides, with one draw, and Dunfermline have three defeats and just two wins across their last eight road games so a home win looks the best bet.

Both of these teams should be able to contribute to the goals total and combine for at least three goals. Villa have managed just one clean sheet in their last six games across all comps, while Liverpool have gone eight games without a shut-out on their travels. There have been at least three goals scored in total in six of Villa’s last nine games and in three of Liverpool’s last four.

Salford recovered from a nightmare start to take the advantage form the first leg of their playoff semi-final against Grimsby, but the Mariners have shown enough in recent away games to suggest they can contribute to a high-scoring game.

Both of these teams should be able to contribute to the goals total and combine for at least three goals. Villa have managed just one clean sheet in their last six games across all comps, while Liverpool have gone eight games without a shut-out on their travels. There have been at least three goals scored in total in six of Villa’s last nine games and in three of Liverpool’s last four.

Rodez beat St Etienne 2-1 in a reverse fixture recently but Les Verts are a far stronger team at home. The visitors are the side in form, however, so the better angle could be backing over 2.5 goals rather than a result. St Etienne hit five against Amiens in their last home game and at least three goals have been scored in each of their last four games at this venue. Over 2.5 goals has landed in five of Rodez’s last six games and they have scored themselves in nine of their last 10 games. Both sides should be able to combine for at least three goals.

Alex Samuel may come into the Partick side after a decent display from the bench in the first leg and he looks a contender for a goal, having scored nine goals in 32 Championship games this season.

Dominik Szoboszlai looks a candidate for an anytime effort. Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder has one goal and two assists in his last four games and had three shots (one on target) without scoring against Chelsea last time out, so he should get a few chances at Villa.

These are two closely matched teams, but while Grimsby have been strong in recent away games, Salford’s home form has to be respected and they can come out on top but the Ammies may concede in victory.

Villa have scored in 10 consecutive home games across all competitions and can strike in defeat. The hosts have a Europa League final to come next week, while Liverpool are fully focused on their bid to secure a top five finish and that could prove the difference. The Reds have dominated this fixture since a 7-2 mauling here in 2020 with eight wins and no defeats in 11 meetings since, they can grind out a win and seal a place in the Champions League.

Notts County won the first leg of this League Two playoff 1-0, but the Spireites showed enough to suggest they can get back in the tie, so don’t be surprised if they come out on top at Meadow Lane. County can be expected to be more proactive in the final third and have scored once in each of their last four games, so should be expected to get on the scoresheet even if they are beaten inside the 90 minutes. 

Both of these teams should be able to contribute to the goals total. Villa have managed just one clean sheet in their last six games across all comps, while Liverpool have gone eight games without a shut-out on their travels.

Both of these defences look suspect as Leuven have gone five games without a clean sheet, conceding 11 goals in that run, and Antwerp have shipped nine goals in their last four games. Both teams have scored in each of Antwerp’s last three away games and that pattern could continue on Friday.

Home advantage should see Partick set up a final date with St Mirren after a 1-1 first leg. The Jags have been exceptional at home this season as their only defeat inside normal time at Firhill across all competitions came at the hands of Glasgow rivals Celtic way back in September. Thistle won three of the four Championship meetings between these sides, with one draw, and Dunfermline have three defeats and just two wins across their last eight road games so a home win looks the best bet.

Home advantage should see Partick set up a final date with St Mirren after a 1-1 first leg. The Jags have been exceptional at home this season as their only defeat inside normal time at Firhill across all competitions came at the hands of Glasgow rivals Celtic way back in September. Thistle won three of the four Championship meetings between these sides, with one draw, and Dunfermline have three defeats and just two wins across their last eight road games so a home win looks the best bet. Partick won 2-0 when these sides met at this venue in April and a repeat of that scoreline is predicted, as Dunfermline have failed to score in three of the last four clashes between these sides.

Notts County won the first leg of this League Two playoff 1-0, but the Spireites showed enough to suggest they can get back in the tie, so don’t be surprised if they come out on top at Meadow Lane. The Magpies are usually able to find the net, but Chesterfield may prove stronger this time, so go for a 2-1 win to the visitors.

Livingston have already been relegated from the Scottish Premiership and have lost nine of their last 12 away games. The Terrors are 23 points better off than the visitors and head into this tie on a four-game winning streak at Tannadice Park.

Middlesbrough were unfortunate not to establish a first-leg lead, but they are unbeaten in five meetings with Southampton and haven’t lost on the road since their visit to Championship winners Coventry in February, while the Saints have only won one of their last five.

Sevilla have only won 15 points away from home this season and none of these have come in their last four trips. Villarreal have already secured Champions League qualification, but they have the second-best home record in La Liga and can claim a seventh successive win at Estadio de la Ceramica.

Manchester City put three past Brentford on Saturday to take their tally to 41 goals in 17 home Premier League matches. With the title still to play for, they can romp to victory against a Crystal Palace side that have conceded three goals in their last two league away fixtures.

Just nine points separate seventh from 19th in La Liga and both of these sides are involved in this incredibly tight battle. Rayo Vallecano booked their spot in the UEFA Conference League final last week and, at the time of writing, they are unbeaten in five. They can strengthen their survival hopes against a Valencia side with only one win in their last five.

Auckland FC earned a draw against the odds in the first leg of this A-League play-off tie and they should do so again after stringing together a five-game unbeaten run on their travels, with hosts Adelaide United only winning two of their last six at home and failing to beat Auckland in all five of their previous encounters.

Aston Villa overcame a first-leg deficit to thrash Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final in midweek, and they could boost their top-five hopes against poor-travelling Liverpool. The Reds have lost five of their last six on their travels, while Unai Emery’s side have won four of their last six at Villa Park.

Manchester City have reached the FA Cup final for the fourth successive season and, after losing the last two, they can get back on track against a miserable Chelsea outfit. The Blues have lost eight of their last 11 games, including a 3-0 home loss to the Citizens, and they have not beaten Pep Guardiola’s side in almost five years.

Both of these sides still have a faint shot at European qualification, and that could lead to an end-to-end affair at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Everton have scored nine and conceded 11 in their last five games, with both teams to score landing in each of them, and there have been goals at both ends in the Black Cats’ last three on the road.

Newcastle have had a miserable season and head into the penultimate round of Premier League fixtures having won only one of their last seven. Visitors West Ham have everything to play for as they battle relegation, and they have avoided defeat in seven of their last 10.