Monaco were disappointed to finish seventh in last season’s Ligue 1 but they can get the new season off to a winning start with a win over Le Havre, who have claimed just one win in their last 12 league matches.

Liverpool have a superb recent Premier League record against Newcastle, who are still coming to terms with key departures and could struggle to hold back Andoni Iraola’s Reds.

Santa Clara have been good value for the four points they’ve picked up so far, while Famalicao suffered a home defeat to newly-promoted Maritimo last time out. The hosts were one of the big underperformers in terms of xG last season, and they’re worth backing in what could be a bounce-back campaign.

Getafe’s recent La Liga matches have tended to be tight, but Racing Santander seem intent on creating a big impression back in the top flight and both teams could score in this one.

Rennes have only lost two of their last seven home meetings with PSG, who were far from their fluent best in last weekend’s Trophee des Champions defeat to Lens and may be unsettled after this match was switched from their Parc des Princes home at late notice.

Elche scored in 17 of their 19 home matches last term, and they found the net in all 12 meetings with the top six, including home and away defeats to Barca. The Catalans won 31 of 38 games last term, but they conceded in 14 of 19 away trips.

Chicago Fire have won three straight MLS matches, and they’ve leapt into third in the Eastern Conference thanks to six wins from their last eight games. The Red Bulls have suffered four defeats in five MLS games since the World Cup, and they look vulnerable.

Charlotte have a great home record under Dean Smith, and they’ve won three of their last four home matches. DC United have scored in their last five away trips, while seven of their last eight MLS matches have seen BTTS land.

Seattle have lost eight straight MLS matches, and they head to a strong Cincinnati side who have won seven of their 10 home games this term.

Over 3.5 goals has landed in five of Inter Miami’s last six matches, while Toronto drew 3-3 in their last game. The visitors were beaten 4-2 at home by Inter Miami earlier this term, and more goals are expected this weekend.

Chicago Fire have won three straight MLS matches, and they’ve leapt into third in the Eastern Conference thanks to six wins from their last eight games. The Red Bulls have suffered four defeats in five MLS games since the World Cup, and they look vulnerable.

Both West Brom and Burnley earned positive results in their opening Championship matches of the season and they can carry that momentum into a Hawthorns tussle. Both teams to score has been a winning bet in five of Burnley’s last six matches and, given the attacking quality in the squads, looks the selection again.

Both teams have scored in each of the last five meetings and that pattern could continue on Sunday. The Cherries scored and conceded in all of their pre-season games, while City scored on average over two goals per game at home last season but have gone six games without a clean sheet including friendlies.

Both teams have scored in each of Brommapojkarna’s last nine matches, and seven of their eight home games this term have seen both teams find the net. Degerfors have won back-to-back matches, and they can get on the scoresheet here.

Getafe’s recent La Liga matches have tended to be tight, but Racing Santander seem intent on creating a big impression back in the top flight and both teams could score in this one.

Aston Villa have endured a difficult summer and have injury issues to contend with, but they can still get the better of a Brighton side just back from a taxing Conference League trip to Norway.

Both teams have scored in each of the last five meetings and that pattern could continue on Sunday. The Cherries scored and conceded in all of their pre-season games, while City scored on average over two goals per game at home last season but have gone six games without a clean sheet including friendlies.

Liverpool have a superb recent Premier League record against Newcastle, who are still coming to terms with key departures and could struggle to hold back Andoni Iraola’s Reds.

With doubts concerning who will be leading the line for Villa, trust Emiliano Buendia to come to the party after scoring in three of his final four Europa League games of the last campaign.

Phil Foden started against Arsenal in the Community Shield and looks to have been given a clean slate by Maresca after falling out of favour under Guardiola. Foden had a couple of attempts against Arsenal and managed one shot on target. He will be eager to impress this term after struggling last season and he can get his campaign off to a perfect start with a goal against Bournemouth.

Dominik Szoboszlai looks set to be a key player for the Reds this season and his potential to score from free-kicks and long range means he is worth chancing in the anytime-goalscorer market.

Five of the last seven encounters have featured at least three goals, including Villarreal’s 5-1 win in May. The visitors drew 2-2 in their opener, and they conceded twice in six of seven visits to the top eight last term.

Club Brugge have won 3-0 in their opening two matches, but they could be challenged by Cercle Brugge on Sunday evening. The visitors have shared 2-2 and 3-3 draws in their opening matches, so expect this to be an open contest.

A goal-packed clash looks likely in this one but with Torino having last season’s leakiest Serie A home defence, Milan should come out on top of a high-scoring encounter.

Porto scored seven goals across their wins over Arouca last term. The champions have made another sharp start this time around, but Arouca can contribute having scored 13 goals across their last five league games, including five strikes in two matches this term.

Jack: After a mixed first season without Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta have turned to Maurizio Sarri. While things are likely to turn out well, Sarri always takes time to get his ideas across. Sassuolo returned to Serie A last season and finished 11th, including winning 3-0 in Bergamo.

Enda: Liverpool have won 10 and drawn three of their last 13 season-openers and the Reds have won 14 and drawn five of their last 19 Premier League meetings with Newcastle.

Tom: Newly promoted Racing Santander began life back in La Liga with a credible 2-2 draw against Villarreal and they can follow up with a victory at a Getafe side that may have one eye on the second leg of their Conference League play-off round tie with Partizan.

Dan: Barcelona have made some big moves in the transfer market but they will be below full-strength for their season opener at Elche. Spain internationals Rodri, Pau Cubarsi, Dani Olmo and Pedri are among the major doubts for Barca, while Elche suffered only two home league losses across the whole of the 2025-26 campaign.

Steve: If there’s a good time to be playing PSG this is probably it, as the European champions lick their wounds from Sunday’s Champions Trophy loss to Lens. Rennes were fifth last season, boss Frank Haise has signed a new deal and Ligue 1’s top scorer Esteban Lepaul has enjoyed a prolific pre-season. And Rennes beat Enrique’s giants 3-1 at their Breton bolthole in February.

Barcelona have scored at least three goals in their last four meetings with Elche, including two 3-1 wins last season.

The last two meetings have ended 3-2 and there have been four or more goals in five of the last six meetings, so take the visitors to win by the odd goal in five.

Rennes have only lost two of their last seven home meetings with PSG, who were far from their fluent best in last weekend’s Trophee des Champions defeat to Lens and may be unsettled after this match was switched from their Parc des Princes home at late notice.

Rennes have only lost two of their last seven home meetings with PSG, who were far from their fluent best in last weekend’s Trophee des Champions defeat to Lens and may be unsettled after this match was switched from their Parc des Princes home at late notice.

A goal-packed clash looks likely in this one but with Torino having last season’s leakiest Serie A home defence, Milan should come out on top of a high-scoring encounter.

Atalanta were strong at the back in most of their Serie A home matches last season and they should be able to come out on top of a slow-scoring test against Sassuolo in their league opener on Sunday.

Elche scored in 17 of their 19 home matches last term, and they found the net in all 12 meetings with the top six, including home and away defeats to Barca. The Catalans won 31 of 38 games last term, but they conceded in 14 of 19 away trips.

Elche scored in 17 of their 19 home matches last term, and they found the net in all 12 meetings with the top six, including home and away defeats to Barca. The Catalans won 31 of 38 games last term, but they conceded in 14 of 19 away trips.

Barcelona have won back-to-back La Liga titles and netted 95 times last season, and the return of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid is unlikely to stop the Catalans from clinching a third successive title.

Mourinho has not won a league title since 2015 and there is almost certain to be friction among the big egos at the Bernabeu, especially with the Special One at the helm.

Arsenal landed a long-awaited Premier League title last season and have improved with the additions of Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis over the summer.

The main reason for their favouritism, however, is what is going on at their rivals.

Manchester City begin life without Pep Guardiola and both Chelsea and Liverpool have new managers to bed in, while Manchester United are still relatively unproven under Michael Carrick.

The Scudetto has not been successfully defended since 2020, but Inter can break that streak despite an upheaval at the back.

John Stones and Manuel Akanji arrive to compensate for the losses of Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij and Stefan de Vrij and, while the Nerazzurri may look weaker overall, many of their rivals have also taken a step backwards.

Napoli have an ageing squad and will have to do without Antonio Conte, while AC Milan have given Ruben Amorim a chance in the dugout and Juventus are still playing catch-up after a terrible period of recruitment.

Like Bayern Munich, PSG look almost untouchable at the top of Ligue 1 and, while Lens were last season’s surprise package, a host of departures bring the other Ligue 1 teams into play.

While other teams have suffered summer losses, sixth-place finishers Rennes have taken strides forward after cashing in on Jeremy Jacquet and boast last season’s top scorer in Esteban Lepaul.

It is hard to see anybody topping a rampant Bayern Munich, but Borussia Dortmund are the best chance of challenging the Bavarians after finishing second last season.

They have kept the majority of their squad together and added a host of exciting youngsters to their books, while last season’s third-place finishers, RB Leipzig, have lost Yan Diomande.

Bayer Leverkusen are unproven after the appointment of their third manager in the past year, while Stuttgart are unlikely to be able to bridge last season’s 11-point gap to Dortmund.

Joe: Preston could be in for a long season in the Championship if their opener against Bolton is anything to go by. North End were comfortably seen off by the newly promoted side, leaking seven shots on target in a 2-1 defeat. Wolves may not have been at their most impressive in their 2-2 draw with Blackburn last time out but their sheer quality should see them get the better of Preston.

Gareth: Ceuta finished comfortably in mid-table last year after winning promotion, but last week’s 5-1 hammering at Andorra in the first round of fixtures suggests they could become victims of the dreaded second-season syndrome. The visitors won 4-0 when these sides met in a reverse fixture in March last season and can make it two wins in as many games for the campaign.

Henry: Middlesbrough hit 23 efforts on goal, had 40 touches in the opposition box and recorded 76 per cent possession in their 2-1 victory over Lincoln. While that excellent performance came at the Riverside, Blackburn do not rate as much of a step up from Lincoln.

James: Lyon were in Champions League action on Tuesday, drawing 1-1 against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, and the return leg of that qualifier on Wednesday takes precedence over this domestic opener. Toulouse completed the double over Lyon last season, winning both meetings 2-1, and the fact that all of the hosts’ focus will be on this clash suggests they may have the edge again.

Enda: Birmingham put in a solid shift at Bramall Lane in last weekend’s stalemate with Sheffield United and the Blues can collect three points on their first St Andrew’s outing of the term. The Blues were 2-1 winners when the sides met here in April and there are promising early season signs from winger Carlos Vicente and striker August Priske – both January signings – that they are ready to make a telling contribution this season.

Leeds have avoided defeat in seven of their last eight away Premier League games while Forest have failed to win 10 of their last 11 home league matches. The Whites have looked very strong in pre-season, while Forest have looked like a work in progress.

West Ham boast arguably the best attack in the Championship and they should have too much firepower for Charlton. However, the Addicks have themselves netted five goals across their opening two games and can breach a Hammers defence lacking in clean sheets.

Wimbledon have lost five of their last six home league games and it’s now six games since they last won at home in League One. Reading let a two-goal lead slip to lose 4-3 to Luton in their last League One game and a similar level of performance should be enough for three points at Wimbledon. With no team having more games in League One where BTTS was a winner than Reading last season, back the Royals to win and concede.

Swansea have lost just one of their last eight Championship games and have only been beaten twice at home since last November. The Swans should have too much for a Sheffield United team dealing with off-field issues.

Rotherham lost 2-1 at Cheltenham last weekend, but underlying numbers suggested they were unlucky to take all three points, as they generated 2.2 xG in that defeat. They host a York side that edged out Bristol Rovers 3-2, but the newly-promoted visitors now face a difficult trip to a side that played in the third tier last season.

Both teams scored in both league meetings between these sides last season and goals at both ends could be on the cards again. Bilbao conceded in their final six games last season and only failed to score in one of their last eight. They have also conceded four goals in total across their last two friendlies. Sevilla have just one clean sheet in their last 14 competitive games, but they have scored in their last five games including pre-season outings and they look sharp when beating Rayo last week.

Der Klassiker games tend to be high-scoring affairs as over 3.5 goals has been a winning bet in 11 of the last 14 head-to-head meetings. Dortmund’s last two pre-season games have both produced at least four goals, as have Bayern’s, and we could be set for a high-scoring clash at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday.

Como are reaping the benefits of their data-led approach and Cesc Fabregas’ impressive side can get the new campaign off to a winning start at Udinese.

Celta did the league double over Valencia last season and have a strong record against their hosts going back further, with four wins and just one defeat in the last seven meetings. The visitors were the third best travellers in La Liga last term, behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid, and they can raid the Mestalla against a Valencia side who haven’t particularly strengthened over the summer.

Everton have enjoyed a settled summer, while also adding some depth and quality to their squad. The Toffees are fancied to see off a Crystal Palace side, who have plenty to prove with Oliver Glasner no longer in charge.

QPR built on an impressive batch of preseason results by winning 3-1 at Portsmouth last weekend, and they won seven of nine home meetings with sides that finished below them last term. Bolton struggled on the road in League One, and they should fall to a defeat here.

Stockport should be backed to get a home win over Blackpool on Saturday. Stockport secured a commanding 3-1 victory away at Plymouth in their last League One game. Stockport have won three of their last four League One matches and are aiming for a third straight success across all comps.

Rotherham lost 2-1 at Cheltenham last weekend, but underlying numbers suggested they were unlucky to take all three points, as they generated 2.2 xG in that defeat. They host a York side that edged out Bristol Rovers 3-2, but the newly-promoted visitors now face a difficult trip to a side that played in the third tier last season.

AZ Alkmaar have claimed two wins from two since beating PSV 4-0 in the Dutch Super Cup. They’ve built on some stellar preseason form to make a fast start, and they can continue that with three points at Fortuna Sittard, having won 15 of the previous 18 meetings between the pair.

Dundee won at Dundee United in January, and the hosts come into this contest following 4-0 defeats to each of Celtic and Hearts.

Como are reaping the benefits of their data-led approach and Cesc Fabregas’ impressive side can get the new campaign off to a winning start at Udinese.

Charleroi have claimed two wins from two in the league this season, and they can continue that fine record with three points against a winless Mechelen side, with the visitors conceding five times across their opening two matches.

Troyes will be full of momentum after winning Ligue 2 but the wind is likely to be taken out of their sails by big-spending Paris FC. The Parisians have added real quality to the squad and new manager Liam Rosenior enjoyed great success during his last Ligue 1 stint with Strasbourg.

Real Madrid have won six of their last seven games against Espanyol and should be able to get their La Liga season off to a perfect start under Jose Mourinho.

Preston’s defensive record last season was poor, conceding 62 goals overall. Only seven teams let in more home goals, and they found themselves 2-0 down within 25 minutes last weekend at Bolton. Wolves have quality in the attacking third, and they can build on last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn.

The Racecourse Ground provided plenty of entertainment last season, with six of Wrexham’s final eight home matches of 2025-26 featuring at least three goals. Watford conceded 12 in their final three matches of last season, but they scored twice against Southampton in their league opener and can contribute to an entertaining game.

Blackburn won 2-1 at Burton in their EFL Cup clash before sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Wolves in their Championship curtain-raiser and they can play their part in another high-scoring affair. Boro look promotion candidates but they were tested in a 2-1 win at home to newly-promoted Lincoln last Saturday.

Der Klassiker games tend to be high-scoring affairs as over 3.5 goals has been a winning bet in 11 of the last 14 head-to-head meetings. Dortmund’s last two pre-season games have both produced at least four goals, as have Bayern’s, and we could be set for a high-scoring clash at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday.

West Ham boast arguably the best attack in the Championship and they should have too much firepower for Charlton. However, the Addicks have themselves netted five goals across their opening two games and can breach a Hammers defence lacking in clean sheets.

Sporting have conceded twice in each of their two league matches this term. They were 4-1 winners when these two sides met in March, and Alverca scored twice in a draw with Estrela in their last game. Back them to get on the scoresheet in defeat in the capital.

Brian Brobbey has been back to his menacing best in pre-season, scoring in the Black Cats’ 2-1 win over Rennes last weekend. The Dutchman scored in four of his final eight away league games for Sunderland last season and looks the visitors’ most likely threat here.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has looked sharp in pre-season, scoring twice against Liverpool and once against RB Leipzig. He scored and hit the crossbar from crosses against Forest in February and is now an added threat from Ethan Ampadu’s long throws and long kicks from goalkeeper James Trafford.

Igor Thiago scored 22 goals in 38 Premier League appearances last season. He bagged a brace against Eintracht Frankfurt in a recent friendly and looks a better bet to score than Richarlison.

Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy finished with 17 goals in the Bundesliga last season and was on target against Roma at the weekend in a friendly, he stands out as a contender for an anytime effort.

Brentford drew five of their final seven home league games in 2025-26 while Tottenham failed to win eight of their final 10 away league games, drawing three. Five of the last six meetings of these clubs in west London have finished all square. Both teams look capable of scoring but Tottenham have tightened up defensively, so a 1-1 draw appeals.

Dortmund haven’t beaten Bayern at home since 2019 but Saturday’s Supercup offers a chance to end that streak. Key Bayern trio Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano have only just returned after extended post-World Cup breaks and BVB look a little further ahead in their prep work. Bayern have scored at least twice in their last five friendly games, however, so BVB may need to hit three to win and a 3-2 win for Dortmund has a chance here.

Der Klassiker games tend to be high-scoring affairs as over 3.5 goals has been a winning bet in 11 of the last 14 head-to-head meetings. Dortmund’s last two pre-season games have both produced at least four goals, as have Bayern’s, and we could be set for a high-scoring clash at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday.

Cagliari could progress from last season, while Parma may be heading in the opposite direction. The Islanders are unbeaten in their last 12 games against the Crusaders and they look capable of winning on their travels.

Troyes will be full of momentum after winning Ligue 2 but the wind is likely to be taken out of their sails by big-spending Paris FC. The Parisians have added real quality to the squad and new manager Liam Rosenior enjoyed great success during his last Ligue 1 stint with Strasbourg.

Sporting have conceded twice in each of their first two league matches, beating Guimaraes 3-2 and drawing 2-2 with Estrela. Alverca also played out a 2-2 draw with Estrela last weekend, while Sporting had a high-scoring preseason run which saw them put four goals past Nottingham Forest and seven by Strasbourg.