VVV have won three straight games, after starting the campaign with a 4-3 defeat to early leaders Heracles. The hosts have taken only two points from their first four fixtures, and they look vulnerable to a defeat against the in-form visitors.

Stuttgart were beaten 5-1 at Bayern Munich in their opening Bundesliga contest, but they are in calmer waters against Cologne. Both sides are likely to be on the front foot and backing overs rates a play in this spot.

Real Madrid have registered expected goals figures of 2.71, 3.18 and 2.62 in their three La Liga matches this season and Jose Mourinho has a plethora of attacking talent at his disposal. It’s tricky to see how Betis can stop the Madrid men.

Shamrock Rovers have seen BTTS land in six of their last seven matches, with their season going off the boil in that run. However, they remain top of the Irish Premier Division, and they can pick off a Shels side that has taken one point from their last nine available, while the visitors were beaten 3-2 at Rovers earlier this season.

PSG have drawn 2-2 in both of their Ligue 1 matches this term, falling 2-0 down in each before fighting back. Monaco have a fitness edge having got minutes under their belt in Europe, and they’ve won four straight games while scoring 10 times. The visitors won 3-1 at PSG earlier this year, shortly after losing 5-4 on aggregate to them in a Champions League knockout tie.

Porto have won all four of their league matches this term, which have all finished either 2-0 or 3-0. They can claim a routine win over Moreirense, who lost 4-0 at Arouca in their first away trip of the campaign.

Libertad have won eight home matches this term, including each of their last five. Emelec have scored just 0.54 goals per game on their travels, suffering seven defeats in total. They’ve lost five of their six visits to the top eight.

Galatasaray have scored nine goals across their first three matches, and each of their matches have featured four or more goals. They put three goals past Istanbul Basaksehir in March, and there should be another few goals in this clash.

Viborg have been in fine form of late, winning three straight league games, netting nine goals in total. They host a Lyngby side that have lost three from three on their travels this term, shipping at least two goals in each of those.

The bottom two in the Eliteserien meet in a crucial clash, but their respective track records suggest this will be an open game. Aalesund’s last home match finished 5-5, while Start boosted their survival hopes with a 4-1 victory on Sunday. The hosts have scored and conceded in their last 11 matches, so back goals in this encounter.

Stuttgart were beaten 5-1 at Bayern Munich in their opening Bundesliga contest, but they are in calmer waters against Cologne. Both sides are likely to be on the front foot and backing overs rates a play in this spot.

PSG have drawn 2-2 in both of their Ligue 1 matches this term, falling 2-0 down in each before fighting back. Monaco have a fitness edge having got minutes under their belt in Europe, and they’ve won four straight games while scoring 10 times. The visitors won 3-1 at PSG earlier this year, shortly after losing 5-4 on aggregate to them in a Champions League knockout tie.

Auxerre have lost both Ligue 1 games this season and conceded eight in the process. They have found the net in both of these defeats, though, and should be able to strike a consolation against a Lyon side that have conceded in four of their six competitive fixtures.

Almere City have taken 10 points from their first four matches, winning each of the last three. However, the hosts have managed only one clean sheet in that run, and they host an Ajax Reserves side that has already suffered 6-4, 3-2, and 2-1 defeats this season.

Real Madrid have registered expected goals figures of 2.71, 3.18 and 2.62 in their three La Liga matches this season and Jose Mourinho has a plethora of attacking talent at his disposal. It’s tricky to see how Betis can stop the Madrid men.

Shamrock Rovers have seen BTTS land in six of their last seven matches, with their season going off the boil in that run. However, they remain top of the Irish Premier Division, and they can pick off a Shels side that has taken one point from their last nine available, while the visitors were beaten 3-2 at Rovers earlier this season.

With Malick Fofana gone, the onus will fall on Juventus loanee Lois Openda to provide Lyon’s goals. He has scored in two of his last three appearances for the club and scored 21 Ligue 1 goals in his last campaign in the French top flight in 2022/23.

Alexander Isak scored his first goal of the season against Nottingham Forest last time out and has registered a Liverpool-high seven shots and three on target so far.

Sparta have only failed to score in a home defeat to Feyenoord this term, and each of their previous three Eredivisie matches have seen BTTS land. PEC Zwolle have scored in both of their trips this term, and they lost 3-1 at home to NEC Nijmegen last weekend.

Ipswich have scored and conceded seven goals in three games this season and both teams have scored in each of them. They face a Liverpool side that have played out two 2-2 draws so far, with both teams scoring in each of their last eight Premier League games.

PSG have conceded four goals in their opening two Ligue 1 games against Rennes and Lille and Monaco can at least have hopes of finding the net in Paris. Taking both teams to score in a high-scoring contest looks the play.

Shamrock Rovers have had a tough run of form across recent matches, mainly in Europe. Both teams have scored in six of their last seven matches, including a 3-3 draw at Derry City in their return to league action. They host the Shels, who lost 3-2 at Rovers earlier this term, while nine of their 13 trips have seen both teams score.

Real Madrid have registered expected goals figures of 2.71, 3.18 and 2.62 in their three La Liga matches this season. However, they’ve conceded in two of those matches, and faced 14 shots in their one shutout against Malaga.

Genoa have started the 2026-27 Serie A campaign with a pair of defeats to Napoli and Lazio and things are unlikely to get any better when Como visit Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Friday. Cesc Fabregas’s visitors have won ten of their last 15 Serie A games and look far too strong for Daniele De Rossi’s men.

Ipswich have scored and conceded seven goals in three games this season and both teams have scored in each of them. They face a Liverpool side that have played out two 2-2 draws so far, with both teams scoring in each of their last eight Premier League games.

Porto have won all four of their league matches this term, which have all finished either 2-0 or 3-0. They can claim a routine win over Moreirense, who lost 4-0 at Arouca in their first away trip of the campaign.

Viking are firmly in the mix for the Eliteserien title, and they’ve won five of their last seven league games. They head to Sandefjord needing all three points, and the hosts have lost all four encounters with the top four this season.

Ipswich have scored and conceded seven goals in three games this season and both teams have scored in each of them. They face a Liverpool side that have played out two 2-2 draws so far, with both teams scoring in each of their last eight Premier League games.

Liverpool have drawn both games this season 2-2 and, looking back to last season, are winless in six league fixtures. Four of these have been score draws.

Real Madrid have won their opening three La Liga matches by scorelines of 2-1, 4-1 and 4-0 and Los Blancos are heading for another high-scoring victory at Betis.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Cerro Porteno have lost all three of their games this season, but they can bounce back in this trip. They’ve won two of their last three visits to Recoleta, while only one side picked up more points on the road than the visitors in the Apertua campaign earlier this year.

America de Cali have won five of their seven matches this term to top the standings, and they’ve won nine of their last 12 home league games. The visitors have suffered seven defeats in 11 league games this year.

Orense have lost seven of their 13 away trips this season, and they make this trip after back-to-back defeats. Leones Del Norte have lost only three home matches this term, and they’ve all come against the top six. Orense sit fourth bottom after suffering four defeats in six.

Libertad have won eight home matches this term, including each of their last five. Emelec have scored just 0.54 goals per game on their travels, suffering seven defeats in total. They’ve lost five of their six visits to the top eight.

Deportivo have won once in their first four games, and they finished the Apertura campaign earlier this year in last place, losing 11 of their 19 matches. The visitors have won four from five this term, and they won all of their visits to the bottom five in the Apertura this year.