Things haven’t started well for Wouter Vrancken as Hearts boss, with four defeats so far in competitive games on an aggregate scoreline of 14-2. They were mauled in midweek by Benfica after a defeat against Aberdeen in their league opener. Dundee United were a match for Rangers at Tannadice, and they can claim a positive result.

Porto have won their last four meetings with Alverca, three with clean sheets, while Alverca have lost their last three away Primeira Liga games – all without scoring. Another win to nil should be on the cards for the Dragons, who have kept five clean sheets in their last seven competitive matches with six wins.

Promoted Beveren scored in all of their league games last season and should be able to strike at Antwerp, who shipped 18 goals in 15 home games last term. The hosts look the more likely winners so back them to concede in victory.

Viseu have not played top-flight football in 38 years and may lack the required nous to keep a lid on Benfica when the game opens up. The Eagles scored multiple goals in their final nine home league games last term and in both of their home matches in the Europa League this season, averaging 3.6 goals per game across all 10. They kept clean sheets in only half that number so the visitors can grab a consolation effort.

Sheffield United have failed to win six of their last eight cup games, including a 4-3 defeat to the Stags at Bramall Lane in the FA Cup third round in January. The Blades have exited the EFL Cup at the first round stage in three of the past four seasons, which indicates the competition may not be a priority for them.

Benjamin Nygren was Celtic’s go-to goalscorer so often last season, the Swede scoring 22 times across all competitions after his move from Nordsjaelland. The prolific midfielder was in the right place again on Monday, and he scored in a visit to Rugby Park last season.

Mansfield have added experience and goals with the signings of David McGoldrick and Michael Smith. Ex-Blades striker McGoldrick bagged 15 for Barnsley last season and is attractively priced to register in a game Mansfield may not lose.

Lawrence Shankland is the new focal point of the Rangers attack and he has scored plenty of clutch goals against Hibs in the past.

Mihajlo Cvetkovic has scored eight goals in his last 13 games for Anderlecht. A proper fox-in-the-box type, the 19-year-old displayed all his ruthless penalty-area instincts by scoring inside 20 seconds against a defensively solid PAOK on Thursday.

Motherwell made a perfect start to the Scottish Premiership with a 2-1 win at Hibernian and even the distraction of a Conference League qualifying second leg is unlikely to stop them following up against Falkirk, who were beaten 2-0 at home by St Mirren in their opener.

Anderlecht have won three straight competitive matches, including an impressive 1-0 win at PAOK in midweek. Meanwhile, RAAL have not played a competitive match since last term when they lost their final six league games and only escaped the drop due to league restructuring.

Charleroi claimed four points from their final two meetings with Leuven last season and look well placed to start the new season with a win. Leuven lost six of their 10 Conference League group games after the league split, and struggled on the road in general with eight defeats in 15 trips prior to the split.

HamKam ended a three-game losing run last time out and can follow that up with another win against strugglers Aalesund, who sit inside the relegation places and have just five points to show from six away games.

Falkirk failed to score in their curtain-raiser and the same fate awaits them at Fir Park. Motherwell have won ten of their last 16 games on home soil and only conceded from the penalty spot against a much stronger Hibs side than the one the Bairns will put out on Sunday. We fancy a 1-0 win for the Well.

Hibs have failed to score on five of their last nine visits to Ibrox, but Rangers have been prone to defensive lapses of late and may concede in a probable win. Hibs have not conceded more than two in six of their last seven Premiership trips, so a 2-1 home win looks about right.

A high-scoring contest looks to be on the cards given Heerenveen’s pre-season record, which has seen them score 21 goals and concede 13 in five matches. The Frisians have conceded multiple goals in seven of their last eight matches overall and could strike in defeat against a strong Twente side.

Viseu have not played top-flight football in 38 years and may lack the required nous to keep a lid on Benfica when the game opens up. The Eagles scored multiple goals in their final nine home league games last term and in both of their home matches in the Europa League this season, averaging 3.6 goals per game across all 10. They kept clean sheets in only half that number so the visitors can grab a consolation effort.

Rangers have won seven of their last nine home games against Hibs and with fewer than four goals having been scored in the last five head-to-head meetings, the Gers should win but goals could be in fairly short supply.

Both teams have scored with at least three goals in Heerenveen’s last six games, including all five in pre-season. Also, both teams have scored with at least three goals in six of Twente’s last nine matches.

Benfica have scored 16 goals in their last three games, all at home, and should bag at leats three against Viseu, who conceded three or more goals in two of their final seven away games in Liga 2 last season.

Moreirense have been inconsistent in pre-season, while they have failed to score in four of their last seven home league matches. Braga aren’t prolific on their travels and have scored exactly one goal in four of their last six away games, so under 2.5 goals looks a good angle here.

Goals should be on the cards here, as St Pats have scored three or more goals in eight of their 26 Premier Division matches, while the Shels have scored at least twice in 14 of their 25 games. Shelbourne have seen goals at both ends in ten of their 13 home league matches, and St Pats can play their part in a back-and-forth game with goals at both ends.

Promoted Beveren scored in all of their league games last season and should be able to strike at Antwerp, who shipped 18 goals in 15 home games last term. The hosts look the more likely winners and are unlikely to draw a blank against a promoted side but a clean sheet for either looks unlikely.

Promoted Horsens have scored and conceded in both of their games this season and goals at both ends looks likely when they host Brondby. The visitors have seen goals at both ends in three of their last four competitive games and have just one clean sheet in seven, they also conceded in three of their four pre-season assignments.

Mihajlo Cvetkovic has scored eight goals in his last 13 games for Anderlecht. A proper fox-in-the-box type, the 19-year-old displayed all his ruthless penalty-area instincts by scoring inside 20 seconds against a defensively solid PAOK on Thursday.

Top meets bottom in the Chile Primera Division and leaders Colo Colo have won their last eight league games. They have scored three or more goals in six of these, while Union La Calera lost 4-0 in their last league fixture and have only won one of their last six in all competitions.

Oriente Petrolero have won four of their last six home games in the Bolivian Profesional Division and should have more than enough to deal with Universitario de Vinto, who have lost five of their six trips away this season.

Santos are unbeaten in six competitive home games and face an Athletico PR side that lost 4-0 away to Vitoria a few days ago. They have won just two of their last 12 away games, losing half of them.

Top meets bottom in the Chile Primera Division and leaders Colo Colo have won their last eight league games. They have scored three or more goals in six of these, while Union La Calera lost 4-0 in their last league fixture and have only won one of their last six in all competitions.

Jaguares de Cordoba have lost all three of their Primera A Clausura games, failing to score in each and conceding six goals in the process. Once Caldas have taken four points from their three games and beat Envigado 3-0 away in the Copa Colombia recently.

Oriente Petrolero have won four of their last six home games in the Bolivian Profesional Division and should have more than enough to deal with Universitario de Vinto, who have lost five of their six trips away this season.

The first leg of this tie was a thrilling 3-3 draw in Belgium and that is far from an anomaly when it comes to Bodo/Glimt and Union Saint-Gilloise. Over 3.5 goals has been a winner in two of the hosts’ last three games, while the Belgians’ three fixtures this term have averaged 4.67 goals per game.

Dinamo Zagreb were utterly dominant in their 5-0 demolition of Kauno Zalgiris in the first leg, limiting the Lithuanians to three shots and none on target. There is little to suggest they will allow Tuesday’s hosts any more joy in the return leg, so expect them to stroll to victory.

NEC Nijmegen may be playing in Europe for the first time since a 2008/09 UEFA Cup campaign, but they were arguably the better side in the first leg and will take a good deal of confidence into the home leg against an Olympiakos side that were beaten by AZ Alkmaar and Ajax in pre-season.

PSG and Aston Villa played out two thrillers in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals, with the tie ending 5-4 on aggregate, and another high-scoring affair is expected in Salzburg. Both teams have scored in Aston Villa’s last five pre-season friendlies, and Les Parisiens saw goals at both ends in five of their final seven games last term.

Wolves may have lost Joao Gomes and Matt Doherty following their relegation, but the arrivals of Raul Jimenez and Kieran Trippier leave them with a very good squad for the Championship and they open against a Blackburn side that ended last term perilously close to the relegation zone.

Only the relegated Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday won fewer points on the road than West Brom last season and the Baggies may be in for a difficult season after losing Karlan Grant and Josh Maja in the summer. Norwich won four of their final seven home games last term and opened their season by thrashing MK Dons 4-1 in the EFL Cup.

Bradford City missed out on promotion last season, but they had the third-best home record in League One with 15 wins in 23 attempts. 18th-placed finishers Peterborough lost 14 of their third-tier trips, including six of their last eight trips and their February visit to Bradford.

Sevilla finished a dismal 13th in La Liga last season and have done little to improve their squad over the summer. They have lost Akor Adams, who scored ten league goals, and UEFA Conference League finalists Rayo Vallecano went unbeaten in their last four away games last term.

After a decline that began in 2011, Racing Santander secured a long-awaited return to the top flight last season, but they face a tough opener against a Villarreal side that qualified for the Champions League last term. The Yellow Submarine won 22 of their 38 games and should get the new season off to a winning start in Santander.

Osasuna avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season and the summer loss of talented winger Victor Munoz will have hit them hard. They picked up just two points from their last seven away games and Celta Vigo will be full of confidence after securing their joint-best La Liga finish last year.

Degerfors have lost each of their last five matches without scoring, leaving them second-bottom in the Allsvenskan standings. The visitors have lost by multiple goals in their last three away trips, and they visit a high-scoring Malmo side. The hosts are in stellar form, winning four of their last six matches, scoring 15 goals along the way. They’ve beaten fourth-bottom Goteborg 4-0 and bottom club Halmstad 5-2 across their last three home matches, and they can clear a handicap against the goal-shy visitors.

Celtic have won their last four games at Kilmarnock by an aggregate scoreline of 12-3. Killie fans will be worried after conceding four times on the opening weekend off the back of scoring just two goals in four League Cup games last month, and Celtic can ease to victory.

PEC Zwolle have lost three of their five pre‑season matches while Ajax arrive with six straight victories, four of which were by more than one goal. Ajax have covered a -1 handicap in six of their last nine competitive matches against Zwolle.

Degerfors have lost each of their last five matches without scoring, leaving them second-bottom in the Allsvenskan standings. The visitors have lost by multiple goals in their last three away trips, and they visit a high-scoring Malmo side. The hosts are in stellar form, winning four of their last six matches, scoring 15 goals along the way. They’ve beaten fourth-bottom Goteborg 4-0 and bottom club Halmstad 5-2 across their last three home matches, and they can clear a handicap against the goal-shy visitors.

Phil: Hacken beat Hammarby 3-2 in their first meeting this season at least a point for a team who have lost only one out of seven on the road is attractively priced

Jack: I’ll take anyone against Hearts at the moment. They were battered 6-1 by Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday, and have now lost all four competitive games under Wouter Vrancken. United were the better team in their opening 1-1 draw with Rangers, have made some interesting new signings, and are a great price to win at Tynecastle, where they are unbeaten in three visits.

Aaron A: Motherwell edged past Hibernian 2-1 in their Scottish Premiership opener and Alfred Johansson’s side can follow up with victory over Falkirk.

James: Chris Wilder is not expected to name a full-strength side for this trip to League One Mansfield Town, who knocked the Blades out of the 2025/26 FA Cup in the third round when winning 4-3 at Bramall Lane. The Stags are unbeaten at home in their last six matches and the only defeat at the One Call Stadium in their last eight games was a 2-1 loss to English champions Arsenal.

Enda: Eliminated from the FAI Cup by first Division Kerry last month, Shels have now lost four of their last five games, conceding ten goals. St Pat’s have drawn against Derry and Dundalk in their last two to fall behind league leaders Shamrock Rovers. They were 3-2 winners at Tolka Park in March and can repeat the feat against an out-of-sorts Shels side likely to have one eye on facing Ajax again in midweek.

Aaron R: Degerfors have lost each of their last five matches without scoring, leaving them second-bottom in the Allsvenskan standings. The visitors have lost by multiple goals in their last three away trips, and they visit a high-scoring Malmo side. The hosts are in stellar form, winning four of their last six matches, scoring 15 goals along the way. They’ve beaten fourth-bottom Goteborg 4-0 and bottom club Halmstad 5-2 across their last three home matches, and they can clear a handicap against the goal-shy visitors.