Inter San Carlos have lost only one of their five games since their promotion to the Costa Rica Primera Division, winning their last three outings without conceding. Favourites Sporting FC have dropped points in three of their five outings.

Club Tijuana have won their last five home games by an aggregate scoreline of 10-3 and visitors UNAM Pumas are on a five-game winless streak, including two defeats from three away games in the Leagues Cup.

Both teams have scored in each of Necaxa’s last four games and in seven of Cruz Azul’s nine fixtures this season, while the last three meetings between these sides have all featured goals at both ends.

Inter San Carlos have lost only one of their five games since their promotion to the Costa Rica Primera Division, winning their last three outings without conceding. Favourites Sporting FC have dropped points in three of their five outings.

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.

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.

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.

Bayern Munich stormed to Bundesliga glory last season but keeping clean sheets was an issue for Vincent Kompany’s team, so Stuttgart can at least find the net.

Sporting have scored eight and conceded five in their opening three matches this season, with both teams finding the net in all three. Rio Ave got up and running with a 2-0 win over Estoril last time out and have scored in their last two home meetings with Sporting. However, they lost both of these meetings and a goal is unlikely to be anything but a consolation.

Lille scored twice away to Angers in their opener and have found the net in 11 of their last 12 meetings with PSG, but they are unlikely to keep the Parisien attack at bay.

Alaves have found the net in each of their La Liga fixtures this season and another high-scoring affair could be in store for Villarreal, who have played out two 2-2 draws to start the season.

Bayern Munich stormed to Bundesliga glory last season but keeping clean sheets was an issue for Vincent Kompany’s team, so Stuttgart can at least find the net.

Sporting have scored eight and conceded five in their opening three matches this season, with both teams finding the net in all three. Rio Ave got up and running with a 2-0 win over Estoril last time out and have scored in their last two home meetings with Sporting. However, they lost both of these meetings and a goal is unlikely to be anything but a consolation.

City’s games last season averaged just under three goals per game and Palace’s averaged 2.4. This has also been a high scoring fixture in recent seasons with each of the last six Premier League meetings between these two sides seeing at least three goals scored. City won both meetings last season 3-0 but have looked vulnerable at the back in the opening stages of the new campaign so both sides may be able to contribute, and they can combine for at least three goals.

Venezia won last season’s Serie B title but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Lecce in last week’s opener and they could struggle to find the net against AC Milan.

Bayern Munich stormed to Bundesliga glory last season but keeping clean sheets was an issue for Vincent Kompany’s team, so Stuttgart can at least find the net.

PSG have made a lackluster start to the new campaign and a French Champions Trophy defeat to Lens and 2-2 Ligue 1 draw with Rennes doesn’t inspire confidence when the Parisians head for Lille.

City’s games last season averaged just under three goals per game and Palace’s averaged 2.4. This has also been a high scoring fixture in recent seasons with each of the last six Premier League meetings between these two sides seeing at least three goals scored. City won both meetings last season 3-0 but have looked vulnerable at the back in the opening stages of the new campaign so both sides may be able to contribute, and they can combine for at least three goals.

Alaves have found the net in each of their La Liga fixtures this season and another high-scoring affair could be in store for Villarreal, who have played out two 2-2 draws to start the season.

Genk have scored nine goals in their first three games of the season and seven of those have come in their last two. They face a newly promoted Beveren side that were demolished 4-0 at Waragem last time out.

PSG have made a lackluster start to the new campaign and a French Champions Trophy defeat to Lens and 2-2 Ligue 1 draw with Rennes doesn’t inspire confidence when the Parisians head for Lille.

Just one point separates these sides, but Galway United are the team in the ascendancy and head into this tie unbeaten in seven. Shelbourne have drawn one and lost four of their last five games and are winless in seven on the road.

City’s games last season averaged just under three goals per game and Palace’s averaged 2.4. This has also been a high scoring fixture in recent seasons with each of the last six Premier League meetings between these two sides seeing at least three goals scored. City won both meetings last season 3-0 but have looked vulnerable at the back in the opening stages of the new campaign so both sides may be able to contribute, and they can combine for at least three goals.

Venezia won last season’s Serie B title but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Lecce in last week’s opener and they could struggle to find the net against AC Milan.

Genk have scored nine goals in their first three games of the season and seven of those have come in their last two. They face a newly promoted Beveren side that were demolished 4-0 at Waragem last time out.

PSG have made a lackluster start to the new campaign and a French Champions Trophy defeat to Lens and 2-2 Ligue 1 draw with Rennes doesn’t inspire confidence when the Parisians head for Lille.

Sporting have scored eight and conceded five in their opening three matches this season, with both teams finding the net in all three. Rio Ave got up and running with a 2-0 win over Estoril last time out and have scored in their last two home meetings with Sporting. However, they lost both of these meetings and a goal is unlikely to be anything but a consolation.

Just one point separates these sides, but Galway United are the team in the ascendancy and head into this tie unbeaten in seven. Shelbourne have drawn one and lost four of their last five games and are winless in seven on the road.

A 3-1 win for Man City has a chance here. City scored exactly three goals in both league meetings last season, and they should probably have scored more than the two they managed against Bournemouth. City look a little vulnerable defensively and the Eagles look capable of at least grabbing a consolation effort as they were unfortunate to draw a blank at Everton last time out.

Birmingham were held to a 0-0 draw at Sheffield United in their Championship opener but with the Blues putting two past Bristol City and grabbing a consolation against Brentford, it is hard to see Wrexham keeping their visitors at bay. The hosts’ last two games have finished 1-1 and that trend may continue.

Former Palace man Marc Guehi scored in City’s win over Bournemouth and wasted a good chance before his goal. The defender had two shots in the last meeting between these sides last season and appeals as an outside contender for a goal on Friday, particularly with City’s forwards yet to hit their stride in the opening stages of the season.