Juventus have scored 11 goals across their three Club World Cup ties but shipped five against Manchester City last time out, and both teams to score has landed in four of these teams’ six combined matches.

Monterrey rode their luck in draws against Inter Milan and River Plate, having an expected goal difference of -2.92 across those two games. They face a Borussia Dortmund side that have won their last two games, limiting Ulsan HD to just three shots in their last victory.

Montse Tome’s side look to have a much easier group that contains Italy, Portugal and Belgium, especially as they put 19 goals past the latter two in four Nations League meetings this season. Spain have demonstrated they know how to bottle a winning formula and they look strong candidates to add to their trophy collection.

Tadej Pogacar has been nigh on unbeatable since winning a third yellow jersey, claiming the world championship title and three Monuments, and he looks capable of landing this year’s Tour de France.

Lando Norris is yet to win around Silverstone, but the 25-year-old has outperformed team-mate Oscar Piastri in each of their two British Grands Prix at McLaren, finishing third here last year and second the year before, both times over 12 seconds ahead of the Australian.

Ryan Fox looks an excellent each-way bet at generous odds. Fox has claimed PGA Tour titles at the Myrtle Beach Classic and the Canadian Open since the start of May. He is a proven links specialist, winning the Dunhill Links in 2022 – where three of the four rounds are played on Open venues – and he was 16th at Portrush in 2019.

Oleksandr Usyk already has one KO win over Daniel Dubois on his CV and he can remove any controversy over that result with another stoppage in the rematch. The Ukrainian is too slick to get caught by Dubois and has the power and accuracy to win without needing the scorecards.

Justin Thomas has struggled in his last two Masters starts – no surprise given the downturn in his form generally – but he ended 2024 by finishing second and third in his last two events. He’s well suited to Augusta, where his approach play and scrambling ability are huge assets.

Rory McIlroy’s first PGA Tour title came at the Charlotte venue in 2010 and he’s gone on to win the Wells Fargo Championship at the course on a further three occasions. He is comfortable at Quail Hollow and looks an obvious title threat if he can hold it together mentally.

A runner-up in 2022 and third in 2023, the exacting test which the US Open usually provides should prove to be ideal for such a marvellous ball-striker as Scottie Scheffler.

Tommy Fleetwood is one of the best exponents of links golf in the world, finishing in the top 12 in four of the last six Opens. Expect him to make another bold run at the Claret Jug come July.

Aryna Sabalenka dominated the hard courts on the WTA tour last year, winning 40 of her 49 matches on the surface, and she claimed both the Australian Open and US Open titles. She can be devastating in Melbourne, winning 27 of her last 28 matches at the Grand Slam in the last three seasons.

Iga Swiatek remains the undisputed queen of clay on the WTA tour. The Pole has won the title at Roland Garros three seasons running as well as in 2020 and she has lost just twice in 37 matches at the clay-court Grand Slam.

Last season’s ATP Tour was pretty much dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who each won two of the four Grand Slam titles, and between them it should be another stellar year. Alcaraz reigned supreme at Wimbledon, making it back-to-back titles at the All England Club, and Novak Djokovic’s obvious decline at 37 years of age makes the Spaniard a worthy favourite to rack up the hat-trick.

At the back end of a gruelling season, the US Open can sometimes throw up strange results and there are often surprises before the September silverware is eventually secured. It could, therefore, be worth going against the head of the market and hard-court specialist Daniil Medvedev ticks plenty of boxes at a nice price.

Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open despite facing three match points in the fourth set to reel in Jannik Sinner in the final. That was the fifth time in the last six meetings that Alcaraz had got the better of his fierce rival, while he is on an 18-match winning streak, having won the last three tournaments he has contested.

Read More

2023 winner Vondrousova recently won in Berlin, while she defeated Madison Keys, Diana Shnaider, Ons Jabeur and Sabalenka along the way. She’s capable of matching top-seed Sabalenka, making her a good outside option to win the title.

Read More

Juventus have scored 11 goals across their three Club World Cup ties but shipped five against Manchester City last time out, and both teams to score has landed in four of these teams’ six combined matches.

Real Madrid have scored exactly three goals in their last two matches and should get the win over a Juventus side that were torn apart by Manchester City. The Old Lady did get on the scoresheet in that tie, though, so a repeat of Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Pachuca could be in store.

Real Madrid have scored exactly three goals in their last two matches and should get the win over a Juventus side that were torn apart by Manchester City. The Old Lady did get on the scoresheet in that tie, though, so a repeat of Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Pachuca could be in store.

Borussia Dortmund beat Ulsan HD 1-0 last time out, limiting the South Koreans to just three shots and 0.23 expected goals. Monterrey were fortunate to draw against River Plate and Inter, having just three shots on target across those two games.

Montse Tome’s side look to have a much easier group that contains Italy, Portugal and Belgium, especially as they put 19 goals past the latter two in four Nations League meetings this season. Spain have demonstrated they know how to bottle a winning formula and they look strong candidates to add to their trophy collection.

Monterrey rode their luck in draws against Inter Milan and River Plate, having an expected goal difference of -2.92 across those two games. They face a Borussia Dortmund side that have won their last two games, limiting Ulsan HD to just three shots in their last victory.

The Swiss have warmed up for the tournament with a poor run, losing six of their previous nine. Norway account for two of those defeats, while the Swiss have failed to score in six of those nine matches.

Mexico eliminated Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup, leaving them 90 minutes away from a return to the final. The defending champions have an incredible defensive record at the tournament so far, conceding just 1.4 Expected Goals across four matches, the lowest tally of any side.

Toronto sit third bottom of the Eastern Conference, despite the fact that they’ve outperformed their xG tally so far this season. The team have the lowest xG tally in the East, along with the worst xG tally on the road of any MLS side.

Derry City are on a roll in the Irish top-flight, winning three consecutive matches without conceding. They have jumped into second place, 11 points shy of Shamrock Rovers with two games in hand.

Oster have lost to nil in each of their three home clashes with the top four this season. They’ve scored only five times across their six home games in total, so back them to fall short against the title-chasing visitors.

Haugesund are sinking without a trace in the Eliteserien, earning only two points from their first 12 matches of the campaign. The visitors have scored only four times in that stretch, which makes them heavy outsiders ahead of this visit to midtable Sarpsborg.

Only champions Liverpool are a shorter price than Tottenham to win their opening Premier League fixture and I think I would look to oppose Spurs.Of course, a home tie against Burnley appears a fairly kind fixture, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Clarets, who conceded only 16 goals in 46 Championship matches last term, were difficult to break down.The decision to replace Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank wasn’t met with unanimous euphoria in north London and it could take a while for Spurs to find their stride.

Brentford have a busy summer ahead as they plan for a future after Thomas Frank but they should be ready for the opening weekend of the season and can start with a win against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.The Bees might be without Bryan Mbeumo, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, but they are usually a step ahead when it comes to player recruitment and are likely to assemble a strong squad over the next few weeks.Forest will be in for a tough game and they might struggle to shrug off the disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification.The Tricky Trees have taken one point from their last four home games and they could be stung by the Bees.

Despite little expectation, there was plenty of promise in Fabian Hurzeler’s first season at the Amex and it would be no surprise to see a young Brighton side take another forward step next term.The Seagulls saw out the campaign by drawing with Newcastle and beating West Ham, Wolves, Liverpool and Tottenham in their final five matches and they have already added Sunderland’s playoff hero Tommy Watson and Italy Under-21 centre-back Diego Coppola to a strong squad.Fulham, meanwhile, lost five of their last seven matches of the season, only beating Southampton and Brentford, and are yet to bring in any new faces, suggesting an opening-day defeat may be on the cards for the Cottagers.

Pep Guardiola must adapt his usual pre-season plans due to Manchester City’s involvement in the Club World Cup and the Citizens could drop points in a tricky opening assignment at Wolves.City made hard work of May’s 1-0 home victory over Wolves, who hit the woodwork twice at the Etihad Stadium, and they needed a 95th-minute John Stones winner at Molineux in October.Wolves sold forward Matheus Cunha to Manchester United and left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri to City but their recruitment has been good in recent years and they won ten of their 22 league matches after Vitor Pereira’s arrival in December.

Leeds were the highest-scoring side in last season’s Championship, but they may find the going tougher in the top flight, and they could kick off their season with a low-scoring affair at Elland Road.Ten of Everton’s final 12 games of 2024/25 featured fewer than three goals, and their away games throughout last season averaged a Premier League low of 1.95 goals per game. A mere 26 per cent of them went over 2.5 goals, and no team outside the top four conceded fewer goals than the Toffees.

Liverpool won by at least two goals in nine of their 14 home victories last season, while they comfortably saw off Bournemouth home and away. The Cherries lost 3-0 at Anfield and 2-0 at home to the Reds, despite enjoying a successful campaign.Bournemouth have already sold Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid, while Liverpool are pursuing their left-back Milos Kerkez. The Reds will have plenty of time to bed in their new signings, while Andoni Iraola’s side will likely start this campaign weakened at the back. Back the champions to lay down a marker in their opener.

Gnistan have improved of late, but they shipped three goals at Haka in the Finnish Cup recently and their two away games against KuPS have seen them concede eight goals in total. KuPS won 3-0 in their last home match and have won by that scoreline in two of their last four at home.

Juventus have scored 11 goals across their three Club World Cup ties but shipped five against Manchester City last time out, and both teams to score has landed in four of these teams’ six combined matches.

Monterrey rode their luck in draws against Inter Milan and River Plate, having an expected goal difference of -2.92 across those two games. They face a Borussia Dortmund side that have won their last two games, limiting Ulsan HD to just three shots in their last victory.

Gnistan have improved of late, but they shipped three goals at Haka in the Finnish Cup recently and their two away games against KuPS have seen them concede eight goals in total. KuPS won 3-0 in their last home match and have won by that scoreline in two of their last four at home.