Blackburn have won only one of their last five home league games while Preston have lost only two of their last 10 away Championship matches. Only Sheffield Wednesday have taken fewer home points than Rovers, so it is hard to see them taking all three points here.

Rodez are unbeaten in nine Ligue 2 matches and have won three of their last four. They can upset the odds against Montpellier, who have lost three of their last four on the road.

Only four points separate these sides, but Clermont are in torrid form right now and head to Boulogne having lost each of their last five games. They haven’t won away from home since October, while Boulogne have taken ten points from the last 15 on offer.

Cercle Brugge have won 17 of their 24 points away from home and head to Gent having earned 11 points from the last 15 available on their travels, while slight favourites Gent have lost three of their last five at home and have failed to win their last four home meetings with Cercle Brugge.

At least four goals have been scored in three of Mainz’s last seven matches and also in four of Hamburg’s last seven games. Meanwhile, three of the last five head-to-head meetings have featured four or more goals – making the generous odds-against price about more than three goals very tempting here.

Athletic Bilbao have won three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each win. Meanwhile, Elche have lost three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each defeat. Athletic Bilbao have not kept a clean sheet in La Liga since December 6th but they have beaten the bottom two, clubs not far behind Elche in the table, recently.

FEBRUARY –  The Texans’ suffocating defence has been the key to their eight-game winning run and with the AFC looking the less competitive conference this season after the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs, they have the talent to go a long way. Quarterback CJ Stroud is fully fit again and can look for an elite wide receiver in Nico Collins while former first-round picks Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. are just two of their many defensive stars.

JULY – Elena Rybakina looks a bet in her bid to repeat her 2022 triumph at the All England Club. The Kazakhstani has had a tough couple of years, due in the main to off-court issues, but she finished last year on a high with victory at the WTA Finals. She’s a superb grass-court player who is as good as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek when she’s on her game.

JULY – Alex Noren enjoyed a resurgence in his career in 2025, winning twice on the DP World Tour, and 2026 could finally be the year he ends his long wait for a maiden Major. The Swede has an affinity for links golf, evidenced by his victory at the 2016 Scottish Open and his two top-10 Open finishes, he could go all the way and land the Claret Jug in 2026.

DECEMBER – Mercedes may have botched the ground-effect era, but the Silver Arrows have a strong record of responding well to rule changes, and the sweeping regulation shift coming in 2026 should bring the title back into play. Their power unit has already come under, and been cleared, of scrutiny, suggesting it is likely to be among the strongest engines on the grid, and they have the driver lineup to win the consistent points necessary to land the constructor crown.

Athletic Bilbao have won three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each win. Meanwhile, Elche have lost three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each defeat. Athletic Bilbao have not kept a clean sheet in La Liga since December 6th but they have beaten the bottom two, clubs not far behind Elche in the table, recently.

Four of Nordsjaelland’s last five competitive games have featured goals at both ends and underdogs Vejle have scored in nine of their last 11 away fixtures.

Both teams to score has landed in four of Annecy’s last five home games and Red Star have scored five and conceded seven in their last four fixtures, with both teams scoring in three of these.

Only four points separate these sides, but Clermont are in torrid form right now and head to Boulogne having lost each of their last five games. They haven’t won away from home since October, while Boulogne have taken ten points from the last 15 on offer.

Blackburn have won only one of their last five home league games while Preston have lost only two of their last 10 away Championship matches. Only Sheffield Wednesday have taken fewer home points than Rovers, so it is hard to see them taking all three points here.

Both teams to score has landed in four of Annecy’s last five home games and Red Star have scored five and conceded seven in their last four fixtures, with both teams scoring in three of these.

Each of Fortuna Sittard’s last eight games have featured at least three goals, with a total of 34 goals being scored in this period, while five of Excelsior’s last eight outings have gone over 2.5 goals.

Frosinone can go top of the Serie B table with a win on Friday and they have won four of their last five home matches, while Empoli have lost three of their last five away games.

Cercle Brugge have won 17 of their 24 points away from home and head to Gent having earned 11 points from the last 15 available on their travels, while slight favourites Gent have lost three of their last five at home and have failed to win their last four home meetings with Cercle Brugge.

Rodez are unbeaten in nine Ligue 2 matches and have won three of their last four. They can upset the odds against Montpellier, who have lost three of their last four on the road.

Athletic Bilbao have won three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each win. Meanwhile, Elche have lost three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each defeat. Athletic Bilbao have not kept a clean sheet in La Liga since December 6th but they have beaten the bottom two, clubs not far behind Elche in the table, recently.

Rodez are unbeaten in nine Ligue 2 matches and have won three of their last four. They can upset the odds against Montpellier, who have lost three of their last four on the road.

Only four points separate these sides, but Clermont are in torrid form right now and head to Boulogne having lost each of their last five games. They haven’t won away from home since October, while Boulogne have taken ten points from the last 15 on offer.

Frosinone can go top of the Serie B table with a win on Friday and they have won four of their last five home matches, while Empoli have lost three of their last five away games.

At least four goals have been scored in three of Mainz’s last seven matches and also in four of Hamburg’s last seven games. Meanwhile, three of the last five head-to-head meetings have featured four or more goals – making the generous odds-against price about more than three goals very tempting here.

At least three goals have been scored in four of Brest’s last eight matches and also in eight consecutive Marseille away trips.

Each of Fortuna Sittard’s last eight games have featured at least three goals, with a total of 34 goals being scored in this period, while five of Excelsior’s last eight outings have gone over 2.5 goals.

Mainz have scored exactly two goals in two of their last three games while Hamburg have scored two or more goals in each of their last three. HSV have also shipped exactly twice in two of their last three games, so a 2-2 could be on the cards.

Sassuolo have been finding it hard to break opponents down at Mapei Stadium of late and may struggle to open up a Verona side likely to set up defensively. Three of Verona’a last 10 awaty league games have finished goalless so take a punt on another 0-0 here.

Nadiem Amiri has scored seven goals in his last eight appearances for Mainz. He scored his sixth and seventh spot-kicks of the Bundesliga season, and eighth and ninth in all competitions, against Augsburg a fortnight ago.

Remy Labeau Lascary scored for the second successive game against Lille last time out, taking the left-winger’s tally to four for the season. He can strike against a Marseille side that have been leaky at the back of late.

Athletic Bilbao have won three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each win. Meanwhile, Elche have lost three of their last four games with both teams scoring in each defeat. Athletic Bilbao have not kept a clean sheet in La Liga since December 6th but they have beaten the bottom two, clubs not far behind Elche in the table, recently.

Liverpool look like the best value pick, with the Reds putting their struggles behind them with an eight-game unbeaten run. The Reds have the fourth-best Expected Goals record across the first six Champions League gameweeks, while they’ve recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Europe. Arne Slot’s side have a kind double-header in January, leaving them primed for a top-eight finish. With the Premier League coasting towards a fifth Champions League berth, the Reds should be in a good position to focus on European success in the spring.

Spain have some incredibly talented individuals, Lamine Yamal being the prime example, but are strong in all areas and don’t have any particular weaknesses. They won Euro 2024 with relative ease and they should be too good for their continental rivals at the World Cup. They also look a level above South American heavyweights Argentina and Brazil, suggesting they will be the team to beat at the World Cup this summer.