Manchester City have won four of their last five matches and are on a 19-game winning streak against Fulham. However, they have conceded in their last three games and face a Cottagers outfit that have found the net in 15 of their last 16 assignments, including four goals in their December defeat to the Citizens.

Both of these teams are out of form but home advantage and a superior head-to-head record gives Villa an edge. Unai Emery’s side have eight wins in 12 Premier League home games this season and have won seven of the last nine meetings between these sides, while Albion are on a run of just one win in their last 12 league games.

Palace concede on average 1.25 goals per-game at home in the league, compared to 1.16 overall, while Burnley have the worst defence in the division with 49 goals conceded. The Clarets have at least scored in 75% of their Premier League away games and both teams have scored in four of Palace’s last five games so goals at both ends looks likely.

Nottingham Forest’s three-game unbeaten run came to an end at Elland Road, but they have won two of their last four matches and should get three points against Wolves, who have lost their last three games and nine of their 12 away fixtures this season.

Sunderland are the only Premier League side yet to lose a home game this season and they could extend that record against Liverpool, who are reeling after their defeat to Manchester City and have dropped points in their last three league away days.

The Hornets are the more consistent team at 9-1 SU in 10 games, they just beat Atlanta a couple of days ago in Atlanta fairly convincingly. Jalen Johsnon is still questionable to play for the Hawks here, without him they are just not the same team.

New York is on a 2nd night of a back-to-back, playing a Philadelphia team that just came back from a long 5-game West coast trip. The long cross country flight could leave a mark on the Sixers players, so there should be no rest advantage for either side. The Knicks will be motivated to even the series here, they’ve had the upper hand in head to head meetings with 6 wins in 8 games played.

Over 208.5 is a low-bar play. Houston’s physical rim pressure and second-effort scoring raise their offensive floor through free throws and second-chance scores. The Clippers don’t need to be elite, just functional, because low totals are fragile; a couple short scoring runs can push the game past the number without a pace spike.

Over 208.5 is a low-bar play. Houston’s physical rim pressure and second-effort scoring raise their offensive floor through free throws and second-chance scores. The Clippers don’t need to be elite, just functional, because low totals are fragile; a couple short scoring runs can push the game past the number without a pace spike.

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.

Sunderland are the only Premier League side yet to lose a home game this season and they could extend that record against Liverpool, who are reeling after their defeat to Manchester City and have dropped points in their last three league away days.

Motherwell are unbeaten in six games and have won seven and drawn one of their last eight at home. They have not conceded a single goal at Fir Park in this run, while Rangers have failed to win nine of their last 14 away games and have been held to a draw on their last two trips to this ground.

Nottingham Forest’s three-game unbeaten run came to an end at Elland Road, but they have won two of their last four matches and should get three points against Wolves, who have lost their last three games and nine of their 12 away fixtures this season.

NEC Nijmegen are having a fantastic season, sitting third in the Eredivisie table and heading into this midweek round unbeaten in 13 assignments, winning 11 of them and taking maximum points in their last six. Utrecht have lost seven and drawn one of their last eight in all competitions.

Newport County are second from bottom in League Two and have drawn one and lost seven of their last eight away games. Third-placed Swindon have won four of their last five at home and should pick up another three points here.

Tijjani Reijnders was not involved against Liverpool at the weekend, but he scored his seventh Manchester City goal against Newcastle last week and has found the net in five of his last eight starts for the club, while he also scored in the reverse fixture against Fulham.

Morgan Rogers scored in the draw with Bournemouth at the weekend and now has two goals and one assist in his last four games across all comps, he looks a candidate for an anytime effort for Villa.

Ismaila Sarr scored the only goal of the game in Palace’s win at Brighton, having also scored in the draw with Nottingham Forest beforehand. The Senegalese forward looks to be hitting form at the right time and he can make it three goals in as many games with an anytime effort against Burnley.

Manchester City have won four of their last five matches and are on a 19-game winning streak against Fulham. However, they have conceded in their last three games and face a Cottagers outfit that have found the net in 15 of their last 16 assignments, including four goals in their December defeat to the Citizens.

Aston Villa have won eight of their 12 Premier League home games this season but are without a clean sheet in six here. They should get the points against a Brighton side that have won just one of their last 12, but both teams have scored in their last five on the road.

Bayern Munich have won four of the last five meetings between them and RB Leipzig and both teams have scored in four of those five matches.  A repeat of that is likely in this one with the Bavarians fancied to dominate a Leipzig team who have not been in the best form as of late.

Palace concede on average 1.25 goals per-game at home in the league, compared to 1.16 overall, while Burnley have the worst defence in the division with 49 goals conceded. The Clarets have at least scored in 75% of their Premier League away games and both teams have scored in four of Palace’s last five games so goals at both ends looks likely.

Manchester City have won four of their last five matches and are on a 19-game winning streak against Fulham. However, they have conceded in their last three games and face a Cottagers outfit that have found the net in 15 of their last 16 assignments, including four goals in their December defeat to the Citizens.

Aston Villa have won eight of their 12 Premier League home games this season but are without a clean sheet in six here. They should get the points against a Brighton side that have won just one of their last 12, but both teams have scored in their last five on the road.

Bayern Munich have won four of the last five meetings between them and RB Leipzig and both teams have scored in four of those five matches.  A repeat of that is likely in this one with the Bavarians fancied to dominate a Leipzig team who have not been in the best form as of late.

Both of these teams are out of form but home advantage and a superior head-to-head record gives Villa an edge. Unai Emery’s side have eight wins in 12 Premier League home games this season and have won seven of the last nine meetings between these sides, while Albion are on a run of just one win in their last 12 league games.

Nottingham Forest’s three-game unbeaten run came to an end at Elland Road, but they have won two of their last four matches and should get three points against Wolves, who have lost their last three games and nine of their 12 away fixtures this season.

NEC Nijmegen are having a fantastic season, sitting third in the Eredivisie table and heading into this midweek round unbeaten in 13 assignments, winning 11 of them and taking maximum points in their last six. Utrecht have lost seven and drawn one of their last eight in all competitions.

Newport County are second from bottom in League Two and have drawn one and lost seven of their last eight away games. Third-placed Swindon have won four of their last five at home and should pick up another three points here.

Sunderland have drawn six of their home matches this season and four of these have ended 1-1. Liverpool have drawn four of their last seven league matches, and these sides played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield in December.

Wolves have scored just one goal across their last four matches and have lost two of these by a 2-0 scoreline. Nottingham Forest won 1-0 at Molineux in December and two of their last four games have seen them win to nil, including a 2-0 success against Brentford.

Seven of Stoke’s last eight games have gone under 2.5 goals and each of their last six on the road have featured fewer than three strikes, while Charlton have only scored nine goals in their last ten home games.

NEC Nijmegen are having a fantastic season, sitting third in the Eredivisie table and heading into this midweek round unbeaten in 13 assignments, winning 11 of them and taking maximum points in their last six. Utrecht have lost seven and drawn one of their last eight in all competitions.

Sunderland are the only Premier League side yet to lose a home game this season and they could extend that record against Liverpool, who are reeling after their defeat to Manchester City and have dropped points in their last three league away days.

Motherwell are unbeaten in six games and have won seven and drawn one of their last eight at home. They have not conceded a single goal at Fir Park in this run, while Rangers have failed to win nine of their last 14 away games and have been held to a draw on their last two trips to this ground.

Bologna have been in disastrous form as of late, winning just two of their last 13 games in all competitions and those victories came against domestic and European strugglers Hellas Verona and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Lazio drew 2-2 with Juventus at the weekend and could go one better in this cup tie, take them in the draw no bet market against the defending champions.

Sao Paulo have four points from their opening two games, while Gremio have a win and a defeat. Home advantage could be key as Sao Paulo have won six of their last seven competitive home games and Gremio have suffered back-to-back away defeats. The home team has also won in each of the last eight meetings between these two sides.

Both teams have scored in Bahia’s last four games and they are on a nine-game scoring streak. Vasco have scored in seven of their last nine competitive home games and have just two clean sheets in their last 10 at this venue.

Sao Paulo have four points from their opening two games, while Gremio have a win and a defeat. Home advantage could be key as Sao Paulo have won six of their last seven competitive home games and Gremio have suffered back-to-back away defeats. The home team has also won in each of the last eight meetings between these two sides.

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.