Massive game for both sides and of course it is a derby as well.

Both sides need points to make the top four and both have good reasons why they may win.

City have home advantage, but will be down after the weekend loss to Arsenal.

United are unbeaten in 23 games in the Premier League, but draw a lot.

So, you can see how a case can be made for either side.

The draw is an obvious choice and I would probably have gone with that if it was available on here, however, I am happy to take United +0.5 goals, which gives me both the draw and a United win.

I am taking Celta Vigo in this one with a 1.5 goal start.

Sevilla may well win this game, but I cannot see them doing it by two goals.

Celta are in the semi finals of the Europa League and are no walkovers, I expect them to put up a good account of themselves.

Take Celta +1.5 goals

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

Houston are a string home side while San Jose do struggle on their travels and I cannot see San Jose reverses their poor away form in this game.

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

Massive game this one in Portugal and the tiniest of advantages can make all the difference.

Sporting are strong at home and while Benfica are strong away, I am of the opinion that the home advantage that Sporting will enjoy will make all the difference.

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

Inter Milan have been struggling recently and the last minute goal by AC Milan in their last game may have an ongoing impact, whereas Fiorentina are strong at home and will take this game very seriously. Home win is this value.

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

It will not surprise me to see Espanyol win this one.

Atletico are top class of course, but the home side are very very strong at home, they have lost just once in their last 13 home games and beaten sides like Sevilla, who are on the same points as Atletico.

Atletico are vulnerable on occasions away from home and the odds on Espanyol are just too good to pass.

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

Massive gulf in class between these two and I am very confident that Basel will win this game and win it very easily.

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

Twente are more than capable of springing a mini surprise here.

AZ have won just once at home in the league in their eight matches and with just one point separating these two the value lies backing the away side.

Due to time constraints there is minimal written analysis today, however, all picks have been fully researched and analysed and you can be assured they come with my full confidence.

I will be backing Tottenham in this game, they are playing a little better than Chelsea at the moment and come into this game with more confidence and momentum.

I am going with Ajax to complete the double over Schalke and win this one.

Ajax absolutely dominated the Germans in first game and should have won by a wider margin.

Schalke current form is horrendous, whereas Ajax form is excellent.

The odds on Ajax are also excellent and they are the clear value.

Take Ajax outright

I fully expect Genk to win this one and qualify for the semi finals of the Europa League.

Celta had their chance to put this game to bed in the first leg and they failed, emerging with a narrow lead, but also conceding two goals, which could prove to be very significant today.

Both sides are in decent form and this could be another close affair, but with home advantage and great odds, Genk have to be the value pick.

I also think that Genk have the slightly better team overall and will have the edge.

Take Genk outright.

I am going with Besiktas to get the win in this game.

Lyon are not in great form, they won the first leg at home but it was hardly convincing and they will be up against it in Turkey.

Besiktas are almost unbeatable in front of their home fans, they have lost just once in their last 15 home games and I have not seen anything from Lyon that will change that.

Lyon away form against Besiktas home form, as well as Besiktas playing at home, swings it for me and I will be backing the Turks outright.

I expect to see a massive improvement from Barcelona following their humbling midweek against Juventus.

Barcelona are a different team at home these days, they are vulnerable on the road, but seem to get their act together back at the Nou Camp.

I do not think they will be resting players and the players themselves know they have to perform, especially in front of their unhappy home supporters.

Sociedad are half decent, but truth is that if Barcelona click today, they will win easily.

I fancy Excelsior to spring a mini surprise against Vitesse today.

Excelsior are fighting for their lives down near the relegation zone and need to collect all three points and they know that their best chance of doing that is when they are at home playing a team that have basically already achieved their target for the season.

Vitesse really do not have that much to play for, they cannot make the Champions League play offs and they are basically safe in the Europa league play off spots, though they are not yet certain and will of course be playing for points themselves.

But for me, when a team is fighting desperately for points down at the bottom of the table and are at home they tend to perform better than they have done previously and that is what I expect from Excelsior today.

Take Excelsior outright.

On paper you would have to go with Man City, but the truth is that I am not confident in City getting anything from this game.

The reason is this, I do not think all the City players are playing for their manager Pep Guardiola, too many times they have been found wanting and while they can put in some impressive performances, too often they do not, that is why they are currently fourth and basically out of the title race, which should not be the case with the players they have.

Southampton are better than average, they are ninth and basically out of European competition, but they do put in some sound performances, they beat City last season in this fixture and drew 1-1 with them in Manchester earlier on this season.

If City play to their maximum they will win, but I do not see that happening and will be backing Southampton to grab the win today.

Two really poor teams face off against each other today and it is Sunderland that I see coming out on top.

The statistics speak for themselves, both teams have horrendous records, Sunderland simply cannot buy a win these days and West Ham do not fare much better.

If this game was played in London then I would have gone for a Hammers win, but it is being played in Sunderland and even though they have not taken advantage of playing at home too often this season, I do fancy Sunderland to take advantage today.

Put it this way, if Sunderland cannot get three points against West Ham today when they are at home and their opposition is in almost as bad a shape as they are, then they never will.

Take Sunderland to win outright.

I am going for Genk to spring a mini surprise in this one and claim a historic away win.

Genk stunned me in the last round in the way they took Gent to pieces, remember Gent knocked Tottenham out.

Genk have lost just once in their last 13 games in all competition and enter this game full of confidence.

Celta are not exactly one of the teams in Spain, they have lost their last two games on the bounce and do not enter this game with either momentum of confidence.

Celta are there for the taking and Genk are the sort of team that will take advantage.

On paper you would have to go with Man Utd, but I have a feeling that Anderlecht will stun the Red Devils today.

Now, this is not guesswork, I have done my homework and here are the reasons why I fancy the home side to win this game.

In seven away games in the Europa League, this year and last year, Man Utd have lost no less than four times. The losses were against, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Liverpool and Midtjylland, they also drew with Rostov. Now, apart from Liverpool none of those teams can be considered an elite team and even Liverpool is a stretch.

So, United over the last two years have won just twice from seven away games in the Europa League.

Now, lets look at Anderlecht. Over the last two years they have played 12 home games in the Europa League, they have lost twice, drawn twice and won eight, in better words they have won 66% of their home games and that includes a 2-1 win over Tottenham, a side better than Man Utd.

Like I say, on paper Man Utd should win, but the respective home and away records in this competition over the last two years do not justify that and I agree with that lack of justification.

The value is to back Anderlecht and that is what I will be doing.

I am going with Ajax to beat Schalke in this Europa League clash today.

The home team enter this game in great form, they have lost just once in their last 18 games in all competitions and that was away to Copenhagen in this competition and even then they won their return game to knock the Danish side out.

Schalke on the other hand enter this game with just three wins in their last 13 competitive games and even though they won convincingly at the weekend, there is no getting away from their dreadful overall form.

The German side has done well in the Europa League on their travels I will admit, but we are now getting to the final stages of this tournament when games get much harder.

Ajax have far superior form, they are at home and they just look the better organised side overall.

I have almost no confidence in Schalke winning this one and am going for a clear home win.

I posted this one last night but because of the bombing the game got postponed, however I still stand by my original analysis despite the emotions that will clearly be in evidence tonight.

The only change I am making this time round is instead of going for an outright Monaco win, I am taking them +1 on the handicap.

The reason for that is that the emotions of last night may have an impact on the game tonight and I am not sure which way they will go and a draw now looks a definite possibility.

Below is the exact same analysis from last night, with just a couple of edits.

The way this match has been priced up you would think that is would be a massive shock if Monaco were to win this game, that makes no sense to me.

Monaco knocked out Man City, they beat Tottenham home and away, they top the French league and have not lost in Ligue 1 since December, they are no walkovers.

Yes, they have lost away in the Champions League to both Man City and Bayer Leverkusen and their opponents today are very strong at home, but Monaco have just as much chance of grabbing a win in this game as they do of losing in my opinion.

Dortmund took a 4-1 thrashing at the weekend, of course their opponents were Bayern Munich, but that was still a hell of a beating, they are fourth in the Bundesliga and that reflects their current status, they are not the Dortmund team of a few seasons ago.

Dortmund have a huge stadium and home advantage is significant and so they are of course favourites, but not by the margin the sportsbook have them at and they are well worth backing receiving one goal..

Barcelona pulled off a miracle escape in the last round against PSG, but for me that masked the the vulnerabilities of the Catalan giants.

PSG shot themselves in the foot, that is a fact, they had tons of chances to put that game to bed and did not take them, their defence froze on the night and they threw that game away more than Barcelona winning it.

This Barcelona side is vulnerable, the likes of Messi, Suarez and Neymar are not playing at their best and away they tend to go walkabout, they just seem like a team that lacks urgency when on the road this season.

Juventus are like a machine, they grind you down, they are probably the most organised team in Europe, they are very hard to beat, especially at home, they relish these type of games and they have proven over the last few seasons that they are a match for any of the elite sides in Europe.

With home advantage I cannot see Juventus losing and they have far more chance of the win than Barcelona.

Take Juventus to get the win.

Impressive Atlanta will hope to continue their impressive form as they host struggling Sassuolo. Atalanta are in line to end up in a European spot this season after racking up impressive wins to shock watchers of the Italian League.

Atalanta are fifth in the table, and showed their mental strength when they bounced back from a humiliating 7-1 loss to Inter Milan last month.

They are a formidable team when they play at home, and that has been key to their success this season.

Sassuolo on the other hand are the whipping boys of Italian football this season. They surprised most people when they finished ahead of AC Milan to qualify for Europe last season, but that seem to have been their biggest undoing. The team has struggled to compete on multiple fronts and have had their season put into disarray by inconsistent performances.

They are sitting fifteenth in the Serie A table, and have not won any of their last five matches, this includes a 3 game consecutive loss in that period.

This game is really set up for Atalanta, they have home advantage and are in great form compared to Sassuolo and should win this game and probably by at least two goals.

Boro coach, Steve Agnew is yet to win a game since he took over from Spaniard, Aitor Karanka. During their mid-week clash, it was great that their attack finally discovered how to put the ball into the back of the net, but their defence did let them down somewhat.

Boro need a miracle to survive after that loss to Hull. If they hope to still be in the top flight next season, they would have to win this game, as they are already seven points away from safety with less than 10 games to go.

Burnley’s win against Stoke City mid-week was their first win since their loss to Lincoln City in the FA Cup. That win will have given them a needed boost as they hope to avoid a late relegation scrap this season.

It is tempting to oppose Middlesbrough, there is enough reason to, but they are at home and Burnley are poor away and they have finally found their scoring boots.

If the Middlesbrough defence improves then I have more confidence in them winning at long last than I do Burnley winning away from home.

This clash sees two mid table teams go head to head with each other as they try to fight and see if they can at least get into the top seven this season. 

West Brom have been hot and cold this year. They were on a two games consecutive loss when they dropped all three points against Crystal Palace and Everton, before getting four points from two games against Arsenal and Manchester United. However, when they were expected to win at Vicarage Road, they succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Watford during the mid-week fixtures. They seem to be impressive in games against top oppositions and struggle to win against mid to lower table teams.

Southampton trail West Brom by seven points, but have two games in hand. Their come-back victory over Crystal Palace in mid-week will be a huge boost as they plan to finish in the top half of the league table this season.

A win in this game would help them get up the table, and if they win their two outstanding games, they may end the season as high up as seventh.

All that said, I am going to have to back West Brom, the loss against Watford is slightly concerning, but they are back at home and they are quite good at bouncing back after a defeat.

Southampton are just as inconsistent and are as likely to lose on the road after a home win as they are to draw or win.

West Brom are the value pick.

West Ham cannot afford to lose this game. A loss would see them get closer to the relegation zone, and most likely get the sack for Slaven Bilic. The Croatian’s team are on a run of consecutive losses, and have to start winning if they want to remain in the premier League next season.

Swansea were on a revival after Paul Clement took over, that revival seems to have ended as the club is now fighting for survival. They have several injured players that would miss this clash. It is getting clearer by every game that Swansea may have come to the end of their time as a Premier league team.

West Ham have been goal shy, and would still be without their best source of goals, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll who are suffering illness and groin problems respectively.

Lukas Fabianski and top scorer Fernando Llorente are major doubts for Swansea, and Paul Clement would also be without the services of Dyer who is out with an Achilles problem.

West Ham have lost five straight league games while Swansea have managed one draw and one win in their last five matches, so two teams not in great shape at all.

Having watched both teams recently I am going with Swansea to win this one, they were unlucky against Tottenham, they really did not deserve to lose, the same cannot be said of West Ham, they did deserve to lose to Arsenal and they duly did.

Bottom line for me is that Swansea are in better form, have more confidence and simply look the better team and I do not see home advantage being enough for the Hammers.

QPR welcome Brighton to Loftus Road in the English Championship this Friday.

At home QPR have put a decent little run of home wins together, four on the bounce, though it must be said that none of these wins were against a team higher than 13th in the table. But, wins are wins and QPR are getting them recently.

Brighton away has been a little mixed, three losses and one draw from their last six road games is a little concerning considering they are going for an automatic promotion spot.

However, I am confident that Brighton will get the win, I am not convinced by the quality of opposition that QPR have beaten and the reality is that there is a huge gulf between QPR and Brighton.

A Brighton win puts them back at the top of the Championship, they are 33 points ahead of QPR and if they play to form, they really should win.

Werder Bremen have to be backed here at great odds to continue their recent great winning run.

Bremen have won their last three games on the bounce, they have won their last six from seven Bundesliga games, with the other game being a draw and have won three of their last four away games. All in all a team in brilliant form.

Frankfurt on the other hand are the polar opposite, they have not won once in their last eight Bundesliga games, their last four home games have seen two losses and two draws. A set of very poor results.

Bremen have the form, Frankfurt do not, Bremen are going one way while Frankfurt are going the other, it is as simple as that.

Frankfurt do have home advantage, but based on recent form that does not look to be enough.

All things considered I am going for an away win here.

Very important game for both sides as the Dutch season enters its final stage.

Both sides are in danger of relegation, especially Excelsior, and both sides know that they really need to win this game, a draw is not good enough at this stage of the season.

Excelsior are second bottom, but a win here and they will be on the same points as Sparta, a win for the home side and it gives them significant breathing space over the the team third bottom.

Sparta have mixed home form, they did lose 2-0 to PSV last time at home, but that was hardly a surprise, they had won their previous two home games, which included a 1-0 win over league leaders Feyenoord.

Excelsior have not won away in their last 13 road games, they really are poor travellers, they do grab the odd draw in all fairness, but the stats speak for themselves.

Bottom line for me is that Sparta should win this game, they have performed well at home recently, they of course have home advantage and their form is better.

Take Sparta to win.

Tricky game between Valencia and Celta Vigo in La Liga this evening, however, I am confident that Valencia will emerge the winners.

Valencia are not having a great season and are definitely inconsistent overall, however, at home recently they have been very consistent, they have won four of their last five home games, drawing the other.

Celta have just two wins in their last 11 away games, they did win their most recent road match against Deportivo La Coruna, who are six places below them, but overall their away form has been rank poor.

Both sides come into this game having won their last league games and so both teams should be up for this, but the home advantage that Valencia enjoy is significant.

Take Valencia on the spread.

Huge game between two of the best teams in England that could prove critical to either teams season.

Chelsea of course have home advantage and are top of the league, but that did them no good at the weekend when they lost to Crystal Palace.

City grabbed a very credible draw at the Emirates against Arsenal, a far better result than what Chelsea enjoyed and it means they will come into this game with a boost in their confidence.

Chelsea may well be feeling some pressure now and we do not know how they will react, they may well come out and beat City hands down, but I do not think so.

I do feel that Chelsea are feeling more vulnerable and are nervous and what they needed was to face cannon fodder today to settle those nerves, but unfortunately for them, it is Man City that they have to face.

For me it is simple, City are facing Chelsea at the perfect time, they are playing a team that is nervous and vulnerable and City know that a win is everything, whereas Chelsea may well play conservative and for the draw,

Take City on the spread.

I take Huddersfield Town to grab all three points against a disappointing Norwich City.

Huddersfield are still very much in the promotion play off positions despite an inconsistent run of results recently and with home advantage, they will be looking to cement that status.

Norwich City are more or less out of the running, their recent form is slightly worse than Huddersfield and they are not exactly world beaters on the road, in fact they are very poor.

Huddersfield know that they cannot afford to drop points any more, otherwise they will run the risk of dropping out of the play off spots, they have already dropped away from an automatic promotion spot, they cannot continue with the inconsistency.

At least they are playing a team in Norwich that are more inconsistent and in poor overall condition, morale is not great and confidence is low, that is what comes with knowing that you will not be getting promoted this season.

Huddersfield have home advantage, they have the better form and far more to play for and therefore they are my pick to win this game today.

I am confident that Hull City will rack up another win against a very poor Middlesbrough side.

Hull have all of a sudden become unbeatable at home, over their last six games they have won four and drawn two at the KCOM stadium and that includes a convincing 2-0 win over Liverpool.

Middlesbrough away from home are terrible and I mean terrible, they have not won once in their last 14 road games, they have had six draws in that sequence, so I suppose there is some positive, but that is grabbing at straws really.

The Boro have won just twice in their last 17 premier league games, their stats are just awful, Hull on the other hand have started to pick up points, albeit mainly at home.

Whatever way I look at this game I just cannot make a case for the away side, you could say they draw a lot, but they are playing a team that has turned their home ground into a fortress recently.

Basically, all the evidence points to a home win and that is what I am going for, a Hull City win.

I am going with Burnley to get another home win today.

The Clarets are a strong home side, when they do lose at home they lose against the very best and Stoke do not fit into that criteria. 

Burnley lost at the weekend against Tottenham, but they gave a very good account of themselves for most of the game against one of the best sides in England and I expect them to bounce back from that rare home loss.

Stoke are not doing great at the moment, their form is poor and they have not a stellar time on the road this season.

All the evidence points to a home win and I am confident that Burnley will win this game outright.

I am going with West Brom not to lose this game and most likely win.

Earlier in the season I would have gone with Watford at home, they were strong and confident, that is no longer the case and they are now very vulnerable on their home patch.

West Brom are doing well, they are organised and hard to break down, they play a patient game and are brilliant at nullifying the opposition.

Watford will really have to be at their best to beat the Baggies and there is no evidence to suggest that they will be today, they have not been for a while, the odd game aside, whereas West Brom have shown consistently that they are a competitive side that can match the best of them, as they did at the weekend at Man Utd.

For me the most likely result is an away win. Put it this way, the most unlikely outcome in my opinion is a home win, there is more chance of a draw or away win and that is why West Brom are the value on the spread.

I like the look of Brentford in this Championship game.

Brentford are inconsistent this season, however, they are more than capable of getting a good result against the best in the division, especially at home. The problem is, they are simply unreliable and their recent results have shown that.

Leeds are having a great season against all expectations, but recently on the road they have shown signs of slipping. Over the last six away games they have won two, lost two and drawn two, basically a record as inconsistent as Brentford.

Brentford do get wins at home and over the last six home games they have won three times, drawn once and lost twice, point is that they tend to win more often at home than any other result.

I expect a close game, but Brentford do just edge if for me, they are more consistent at home than Leeds are away and for two teams in inconsistent form at the moment that is important.

This is arguably the most exciting fixture in Serie A this weekend. Napoli who are third on the league table host leaders, Juventus with a lot of pride at stake. Napoli are behind second placed AS Roma by just two points, and would fancy their chances of finishing second in the league table. Despite the ten point difference between thsee two teams, the title could still be up for grabs if Napoli collect all three points.

Juventus have won nine of their last ten league matches and would be weary of losing this game.

The last time they lost a league game was January at Fiorentina, since then they have won four of their last five away matches.

The last three meetings between these two sides, has ended in victory for Juventus, albeit they have all been in Turin.

Home advantage could be the deciding factor here, there is no doubt how good Juventus are, they are world class, but Napoli are also very strong and in front of their home fans I can see them getting all three points.

Gent enter this fixture on the back of three wins from their last three league matches, and are unbeaten in their last 4 league games. They thrashed Mechelen 3-0 in their last league outing, with their last two home games being comfortable home wins, where they scored at least 3 goals in each encounter.

Club Brugge on the other hand are currently on an inconsistent run of form, they have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches. They are currently without a win in their last two league games, and would hope to arrest that slide with a win in this encounter.

Club Brugge have an upper hand in the head to head record between these two teams, they have won 9 times, with seven ending in draws while Gent has won 6.

Club Brugge are currently sitting 2nd in the standings, nine points above Gent who are sitting 4th with 50 points.

Gent are in slightly better form and have home advantage and are the clear value pick in this match up.

This is one of the most important fixture in the whole of Europe this weekend. Arsenal are surrounded with a lot of negatives, including the manager’s future, and a very poor run of form which has seen many calling for the sack of Arsene Wenger.

Their only win in the month of march was against Lincoln City in the FA Cup, their 3-1 loss to West Brom the last time out was preceded by defeats to Liverpool (3-1), Bayern Munich (10-2 on aggregate), among others.

The Gunners are 6th in the standings, eight points behind their opponents who sit 3rd on 58 points. This is a must win for the Gunners if they have any ambition of playing in the Champions league next season.

Man City are currently sitting in the fourth position, after Liverpool’s win against Everton yesterday, however they have games in hand. This is a tough but important encounter for them, a win will take them above Liverpool, but a loss would see them drop points and put their own top 4 hopes in jeopardy.

Arsenal may well be at home, but their form is just too poor and the vale has to be backing Man City to win.

PSV are on a run of three consecutive wins, and would be hoping to grab a fourth when they face Sparta Rotterdam. 

Sparta have won two games on the bounce at home, including a victory over league leaders, Feyenoord. The last time out, they scored three goals in a win against Heracles, and will be hoping to follow that up with a win against PSV.

PSV are set to lose their league crown. They are trailing leaders, Feyenoord by eight points with only 7 games left to play and the reason for that is that they have dropped points at critical points this season.

But they know that toppling second placed Ajax, so they can qualify for the UEFA Champions League is a possibility. They currently trail the Amsterdam club by only two points.

PSV have the upper hand in this fixture, they have won 22 of the last 32 encounter between these two teams, but it has not always been easy pickings.

Sparta are a strong team when they play at home and while they may lose this fixture, I cannot see them losing by two goals and a draw is not out of the question.

The last time this two teams met, the man of the match was West Ham’s woodwork. Hull city were so unlucky, with at least three of their clear scoring chances hitting the post and coming out. They will be hoping for better luck today.

Slaven Bilic is under severe pressure, with his West Ham team on a run of three consecutive defeats. He knows he must get a result in this game if he wants to avoid his name been associated with unnecessary sack rumours.

Hull city have seen their hopes of survival reduced following a run of poor results recently. They started very well under Portuguese Manager, Marcos Silva, even beating Liverpool. But they have suffered some major injuries, which has narrowed their chance of survival.

All that said, Hull City are at home and that is an advantage against a team with poor morale, inconsistent form and an under pressure manager.

I believe Hull City will emerge the victors in this fixture

Leicester are on their best run of form this season, having won three games on the bounce. They are on course to become the first team managed by an Englishman to win their first four games, providing they do in fact beat Stoke.

Craig Shakespeare has done a great job in guiding the defending champions from relegation danger to the cusp of a Champions League semifinal. They defeated Stoke City 3-0 the last time they visited the King Power Stadium.

Stoke city are in a familiar position, ninth. This is where they have ended up in the past three seasons, and would love to improve their position even by a single step or at least consolidate their position.

Stoke city have been impressive against the top teams, but their results against the teams in the lower part of the table has been unpredictable.

Bottom line is this, the Foxes are in great form and with home advantage they really should be able to defeat Stoke

Tricky game this but I really do fancy QPR to spring a mini surprise and collect all three points today.

QPR are in good form at the moment, they have won five of their last seven competitive games, losing just the once in that run and while their away record is not great, they are full of confidence and playing against a side that are just three points ahead of them in the league and who do not have the best of home records.

Derby have won just once in their last ten championship games, this is not a team in good form, they have won just twice at home in their last seven games and if there was ever a time to be facing them, it is now.

QPR are not world beaters, but they are in good form, certainly better than Derby County and if they can take their recent form into this game then they have an excellent chance of collecting all three points.

For me the odds do not reflect reality, it should be a lot closer and I am happy to take advantage of the crazy odds on QPR.

Massive game in the Polish Ekstraklasa today between third placed Lech Poznan and sixth placed Wisla Krakow.

Both sides really should make the Champions rounds, however, a loss for the home side today and they would then run the risk of missing out and instead heading for the relegation round, something they will be desperate to avoid.

The away side, Lech Poznan, are very much in the hunt for the overall title and will also be desperate for a win, so both teams are certainly motivated.

Both sides are in excellent form in terms of their respective home and away records and there is very little to separate them.

Home advantage is important and for me that is what will provide the slight edge, Wisla have won eight of their last home league games, drawing twice and no losses, in better words a team very very hard to take points off on their home turf.

Poznan are a very good away side, but on occasions have been vulnerable, they have lost three times on the road over their last ten league games away from home, but they have won six times within that sequence.

The value is with the home side, they have a solid home record and their opponents do slip up on occasions when travelling.

I am taking Ecuador to continue with their impressive home record and grab the win over Colombia in this South American world cup qualifier.

I recall backing Chile when they visited Ecuador and I was stunned at how Ecuador took them to pieces, remember that Chile have won the last two South American Championships and to see them dismantled the way they were was an eye opener.

Ecuador have lost at home, they got beat 3-0 by Brazil but that was their only loss in their last 14 home games in this competition, a sequence that saw them win 11 of those 14 games.

Colombia are a good team of course, but they are vulnerable away from home and with just three wins away in this competition over their last ten games on the road does indicate that they are hardly a formidable away side.

Ecuador won the last time these two played in this competition when Ecuador were at home and I see that being repeated once again tonight.

Take Ecuador on the spread.

Norway would be desperate for a win in this encounter as they hope to kick start their qualifying campaign. They have taken only 3 points from their opening 4 matches which is a far cry from the days of lethal strikers like Ole Gunnar Solskjear and John Carew.

Northern Ireland have kept three clean sheets in their last four matches, and their attackers have similarly been impressive helping to boost their chance of qualifying for a second major tournament after appearing at Euro 2016. If they keep their heads down and keep working hard as in previous fixtures, this could well be another win for them.

Norway have been anything but impressive so far, their defence have let in seven goals so far and their attackers have been goal shy, with the team scoring only three goals so far. They are currently in a hopeless situation, only a win can breathe hope into their campaign.

The Irish are at home and know where the goal is and the Norwegians are not exactly the best defenders, but I do see both teams scoring at least once and am confident that one of the teams, probably Northern Ireland, will go on and win.

This game is one that will determine the destiny of both teams involved, with Romania and Denmark out of the top two spots in their group. 

Romania took four points from their first two qualifying fixtures against Montenegro and Armenia. However, they have failed to score a single goal in their last two matches against Poland and Kazakhstan. This makes this game a win or bust game for them.

Denmark started this qualifying series with a win against Armenia, but lost their next two fixtures against Poland and Montenegro to put themselves in a tough situation, needing at least a win to keep their world cup qualifying hopes alive. 

Denmark do have Christian Erickson, who has returned to goal-scoring form for his club Tottenham. He has scored in his last two games against Milwall and Southampton. He is also their leading scorer in this qualification series. 

If the Romanians can contain him and with home advantage I am confident they will not lose, therefore they are the value pick at scratch in this game.

Group F leaders, England will resume their qualifying campaign against Lithuania. England are favourites with 10 points from four games, while Lithuania are fourth with five points from four games.

England have not been convincing so far in the qualifiers. They struggled to win 1-0 at Slovakia in their first game, also beat a lowly rated Malta 2-0 at home, drawing with Slovenia, before showing superiority over their neighbours Scotland with a 3-0 win. They are yet to meet up with the high expectations placed on them when one considers the limited opposition they have faced.

Lithuania seem to be taking the underdog tag well, they were impressive in their first three fixtures. They recorded draws against Scotland and Slovenia in their first two fixtures before beating Malta 2-0 in the next fixture. However, they were humbled by Slovakia, who eased past them with a 4-0 score line. 

England are at home, they will be looking to put in a fine performance and the truth is that Slovakia beating Lithuania 4-0 was probably the right result and I see no reason why England cannot win by the same sort of score.

Czech Republic would consider this fixture a favourable one to help them get back in the race for second place in their qualifying group. This is as easy as it gets. 

San Marino are the whipping boys of this group. They have lost their opening four qualifying games with so much ease, scoring a single goal and conceding at 16. The last time they were in a qualifying series, they picked up one point in a goalless draw against Estonia, however, they are certainly not going to score a goal let alone score a point in this fixture.

Czech Republic are not having the qualifying campaign they would have hoped for at the start of the series. They could not record a win in their first three fixtures, even failing to beat either Northern Ireland or Azerbaijan on their home turf. However, a spirited performance helped the team earn a 2-1 win over Norway the last time out.

The bottom line is this, the Czechs will run riot and I see them scoring for fun, I cannot imagine them conceding and this will predictably be a one-sided game with the Czech Republic winning by 5 goals or more.

Ireland currently sit at the top of Group D on 10 points, while Wales have  six points, so if Ireland win they will have a huge seven point lead over the Welsh, an unthinkable state of affairs for Chris Coleman's men, especially if they want to make the world cup in Russia next year.

Group D is a six team group, the winners go through and the second side is in for a possible play off, four games have been played out of a possible ten, so for Wales to fall that seven points behind with just five games remaining would be significant.

Wales are actually third at the moment, Serbia are second and that has to play a part as well, if the Serbs win away at Georgia and they should do, then a defeat tonight for Wales really would be a massive hit to their ambitions.

So, Wales have to win, as simple as that, a draw would not be disastrous, but a win really is what is needed.

Ireland of course realise all this as well, they are in front of their own passionate fans and will know the significance of a win.

So the scene is set, question is who will win?

Well, for me no one, I am of the opinion that the most likely outcome is a draw, though the Welsh do have a slight edge overall for me.

The Welsh are the better side in my opinion but they are not playing the way they did in Euro 2016, if they did then I reckon they could win this one.

But, the Irish are no slouches, they are a tough team to beat, especially at their own ground, they are well organised, have a good management structure. have the motivation and know how the Welsh play.

We have two teams here that will be going for the win, two teams that need the win for different reasons, but both also know the cost of a defeat and while each side will want to win I also expect them to be conservative and be slightly risk averse, a draw, while not great for Wales, is probably an acceptable result for both side.

Now, the draw is not available for me on here, so I will take Wales at scratch on the spreads, I think if we was to see a winner it would be the Welsh as they have more reason to go for the win and if it is a draw then at least the stake is returned.

I believe the least likely outcome is an Ireland win.

Atlanta United return home after demolishing Minnesota United FC last Sunday, to host another fast rising team, Chicago Fire. Both clubs come into this game with good results from last week, with Chicago Fire beating Real Salt Lake 2-0 at home.  

Atlanta United would be hoping to follow their record breaking defeat of Minnesota United FC last Sunday with a win against Chicago Fire to continue making a statement that they are for real. 

The Fire are also enjoying a good season, after finishing the 2015 and 2016 MLS season at rock bottom. Their stunning improvement is down partly to their new central midfield pairing of MLS veterans, Dax McCarty and Juninho.  This midfield partnership and a dangerous attack led by striker Nemanja Nikolic, have catapulted them to new heights this season.

Despite their away win against Minnesota United FC, Atlanta are still looking for their first home win of the season.

This is a tough game, but I think Chicago Fire would get a point from this game and will therefore take the Fire on the spread with a 1/2 ball start.

This battle of Canadian rivals is an interesting game, with both teams looking for a first win of the year. The caps come into this game after losing 3-2 at San Jose last weekend and a hard fought 2-0 loss at Tigres in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinals on Tuesday. While Toronto drew their last game 2-2 against Philadelphia.

This game is the third in eight days for the Caps who are still searching for their first win of 2017. They will be looking to pick up maximum points to help them forget a difficult last week. Despite a busy schedule both on air and on the ground, the Caps will be in no mood to take it easy on their rivals, and would be anxious to get their season going with a win.

For Toronto, this would be their third straight match away from home. They have been impressive so far, picking a point in each of their last two away games. They would be thrilled at the prospect of picking a win before playing their first home game next week.

Since Toronto have been impressive away so far, I give them the advantage in this match.

David Villa and Ignacio Piatti wILL be the superstar attraction in this game, with both players enjoying a good run of form so far. David Villa scored two and assisted one against DC united while Piatti scored one and assisted another in his last outing against Seattle Sounders.

Montreal have not had the most positive start to the league so far, losing a late lead to draw with the Sounders and putting a poor performance against San Jose. Despite a loss to Orlando City, NYCFC have been impressive in the two games they have played so far this season.

Playing at home, NYCFC seem to have developed a good habit of being unbeatable. Their defence has been solid so far, and their attack led by Moralez, Rodney Wallace, Jack Harrison, and Villa is capable to terrorising any defence.

The Impact are a good counter attacking team, which might give them an advantage over NYCFC who love to possess the ball. Ignacio Piatti might be the player to finally break down this resilient NYCFC defence, after showing how deadly he can be in his last game.

NYCFC have not lost any of their last nine home games in the league, winning eight and drawing one.

This would be a tight game, but I am confident that New York will emerge the winners.

I like the look of Bournemouth in this one and take them to get all three points against Swansea City today.

Bournemouth finally got back to winning ways last week against West Ham winning 3-2, that result followed on from a 1-1 draw at Man Utd and the signs are that Eddie Howes men have finally started to get their act together.

Swansea have lost their last three away games on the bounce, though in all fairness two of those losses were against Chelsea and Man City, but their most recent away loss was against Hull City and that defeat alone shows you the problems that Swansea still have.

Swansea have turned the corner a little at home, but they are still in bad shape when it comes to playing away and against a resurgent Bournemouth I am of the opinion that their current bad away form will continue.

It will no doubt be an exciting game, but with home advantage I am confident that Bournemouth will emerge the winners.

Crystal Palace enter this game after finally putting together some decent results and they will be hoping to continue their good form with yet another win today.

Palace have a horrendous run in as the season enters its final quarter and know that this is the exact sort of game they really must claim all three points.

Watford are clearly a home side, their record away from home is not good and they will be desperate to put up a good show today and avoid yet another road defeat.

The bottom line is this, Palace are in very good form at long last while Watford have hit the wall, so on paper you would go with a home win, but there is more to it than just whats on paper.

Watford will see Palace as just the sort of opposition that they can get result from and possibly get back tow inning ways, whereas Palace will see Watford exactly the same, a team they can beat.

Basically I see goals in this game, I expect Palace to go all out for the win, they simply must do that and the chances are they will win this one, but Watford also will fancy their chances and I can see them scoring at least once.

So, if I see Palace winning and Watford scoring then the most logical and value pick is over 2.5 goals.

Sunderland come into this fixture with an undesirable record of one win in ten games, they are also without a win and a goal in their last three league matches. Burnley is on a run of five consecutive games without a win, though four of those games have been away from home. Both teams would hope to improve on their recent woeful league results.

Burnley are a very difficult side to break down when facing the top six opponents, but they have not shown the same resilience when facing teams further down the table.

Sunderland would be hoping that Jermaine Defoe who was recently invited into the English national team will inspire them to a win.

Burnley who are 12th on the league table are under less pressure, with their safety almost guaranteed, while Sunderland are bottom of the table, and would be anxious to get a result in this game to kick start their bid for premier league survival.

I see this game being a very cagey affair with Sunderland both anxious and conservative at the same time, I expect Burnley to be a little more free in their play and I am of the opinion that there is more chance of a Burnley win than a Sunderland win, however, not enough to go with the Clarets outright and will take them with the safety net of a 0 spread.

Despite reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, Leicester city is still in a relegation fight with just three points above the relegation zone. West Ham’s inconsistent performances might give Leicester an edge over them, as Shakespeare looks to continue his winning start as caretaker manager.

Leicester are a resurgent side with two wins in their last two league matches, and seem to have gotten into the form that saw them win the league last season.

West Ham has lost two consecutive league game, and are inconsistent in the league so far. 

Both teams are 11th and 15th on the league table, but Leicester need the points more as they hope to avoid relegation and an unwanted legacy.

Although West Ham are a good side and have no major injury problems, they are currently on a poor run of form and this would still be a tough game for them.

Both teams would be looking to get the maximum points, but I think Leicester would continue their winning run with a win in this fixture.

All things considered the value pick is to take Leicester at scratch on the spreads.

The first leg finished 1-1 and therefore the advantage lies with Borussia, they also have the away goal and I expect them to go on and qualify for the next round.

Schalke missed a great opportunity in the first leg and now they are away I see them struggling, they have not won away in their last five Bundesliga games, they have just two away wins in their last ten games and one of those was against a lower league side in the German cup.

Borussia have lost just three times in their last 19 home games in the Bundesliga and that is important considering they are playing a fellow Bundesliga side.

Bottom line for me is that all the advantage is with the home side and I fully expect them to win this game, they have the home form against German sides, whereas Schalke are poor on the road at this moment in time.

Besiktas welcome Olympiakos in what could prove to be one hell of a game.

When Turkish and Greek sides meet they tend to be passionate affairs and the fact that these two are also top of their respective leagues makes this all the more interesting.

There really is little to choose between them, Besiktas may well have home advantage but I am not sure that will faze Olympiakos too much.

This game could go either way and is perfectly set up for a see saw encounter.

For me this game will be about goals, over 2.5 in fact and I will provide no stats or anything like that to back that up, this is all about my opinion and gut feeling and how I see this game unfolding.

Because the first leg finished 1-1 Besikatas have a slight advantage with the away goal, which means that Olympiakos must go for at least one goal and I expect them to get that.

If Olympiakos do get the goal I expect them to get,  then Besiktas must themselves score and again I expect them to do just that.

The real question is, will either of these two sides score twice within 90 minutes and I believe one at least will do, they both have the capabilities and with the game poised the way it is then the circumstances are perfectly set up for just that to happen.

Take over 2.5 goals.

Genk absolutely hammered Gent in the first game between these two and now have home advantage, they are almost certainly through bar a miracle.

But that first game was an aberration, I am sure if it was played another five times that Gent would win four times, how they managed to collapse so quick I will never know, but fair dues to Genk, they took advantage and handing out a thrashing.

Just because Genk won 5-2 does not make them the better side, they are behind Gent in the league and head to head between the pair are fairly even.

I actually think Gent will win this one and make up for the humiliation of the first game, they will not qualify, the lead is too big, but they will regain some pride.

I see Genk playing conservatively and this will allow Gent some freedom to attack, it is not like they have much to lose now.

Take Gent to win.

Tricky game this one but I am confident that Roda will not lose and are more likely to get the win than their opponents.

Roda may be in the relegation zone but their home record is far better than they are given credit for. They have lost just twice in their last home fixtures, not a bad return for a team second bottom and a close look at those results is quite revealing.

At home over those last eight games Roda have drawn with PSV, Utrecht and AZ, 3rd, 4th and 6th in the league, their two losses were against Feyenoord and Ajax, currently 1st and 2nd in the league and when they have played teams outside the top six they have a record of two wins and a draw with no losses in that eight game sequence.

So you can see that Roda form at home over the last eight games is not that bad, not bad at all.

Groningen have just two wins from their last nine away league games and while some of their losses have also been against the top teams they have stilled failed to beat lowly teams on the road, though in all fairness their away record is not as bad as it looks on paper if you dig deep into the analysis.

But the reason I am going with Roda over Groningen is that Roda are in better form at home than Groningen are away and while a draw is a strong possibility (not available as a choice on here) there is more chance of a home win than an away win in my opinion.

Massive game as per usual when these two meet and I am taking Celtic not only to win, but to win comfortably.

The stats for Celtic are awesome, they are almost unbeatable in Scotland and at home they are phenomenal and I cannot see how that will change today.

A few years back Rangers will have been far more competitive, but not at this moment in time, maybe in a couple of years time things will have evened up again, but as things stand now, Celtic are far superior.

Before I analysed this game I had decided that I would back Celtic to win with a spread as high as -2.5, so to get -1.5 is simply a gift and one I will gratefully accept.

It is very rare that I take odds below +100, but it is fully justified in this instance and I will be very surprised if Celtic do not win this game by at least two goals and probably by three or more.

Tricky games this but I am confident that West Ham will avoid the loss and most likely win.

Bournemouth are in terrible shape, they have not won in their last seven Premier League games and even the draw last week at Man Utd should not be taken at face value, they were very lucky to escape that game with a point, United really should have won and won easily, but their poor finishing let them down.

Bournemouth may take some comfort from that draw though and that could be the result that kicks starts their season again, but I doubt it.

West Ham are not doing that much better overall, but away from home they are in decent form, they have lost just once in their last six away games  and have won three of their last five road matches.

The form of West Ham away and the form of Bournemouth overall gives me confidence that West Ham will not lose this game and taking them on the spread is the best option.

This is a very difficult game to choose a winner, but that does not mean that there is not a great opportunity for us to make a profit.

The pick for me in this game is over 2.5 goals and the reason is simple.

When Hull are at home the goals flow, when Swansea are away from home the goals flow and there is no reason why that flow will not continue today.

Lets look at some stats.

The last six Hull City home Premier League games have seen over 2.5 goals in five of them, that is a definite pattern.

The last six away games in the Premier League for Swansea have seen over 2.5 goals in all six, in fact it goes back to seven games.

Now, if you add in the fact that both sides are desperate to avoid relegation and will both be going full force for a win then it is easy to anticipate an open game.

Take the over 2.5 goals.

I take Everton to get a positive result at home against West Brom this afternoon in England.

Everton are in decent form at the moment, yes they lost to Tottenham last week but that is hardly a shock, truth is they were expected to lose that game, but they did equip themselves well, they were a little unfortunate and their confidence would not have been dented following that defeat.

Everton are fairly strong at home, they have won their last four home games in the Premier League and that includes a 4-0 thrashing of Man City and a 3-0 defeat of Southampton, two highly impressive results.

West Brom are West Brom, an average side always content with safety and maintaining their place in the Premier League, they are at best inconsistent and at worse predictable. They have won just once from their last seven league games on the road and while they do not get hammered that often, they did lose 4-0 against Tottenham.

All things considered Everton look good for the win, the only issue is the handicap set, though if you look around there is lower handicaps with good value odds available, but unfortunately I have to go with what is on offer here.

I really fancy Lyngby to get the win today against struggling Viborg.

Viborg sit rock bottom of the table, though they have turned things around recently with an impressive unbeaten run covering their last five league games. 

Also, away from home Viborg have won two and drawn one of their last three away games, so something has happened to turn their fortunes around slightly, but I cannot see them maintaining this form for much longer and against Lyngby I see them finally losing that unbeaten run.

Weirdly, while Viborg have turned their fortunes around slightly, Lyngby have regressed a bit, they have not won at home in their last five league games, but the last two games have ended in draws following three losses, so at least they have stopped the flow of losses at home.

That said, Lynbgy are on an unbeaten four match run overall, those two home draws have been complimented by two away wins, so they are not in a rut and have obviously worked out how to stop the rot.

For me Lyngby will have too much for Viborg today, they have finally come back to some semblance of form and while Viborg are also in form I am not convinced they can or will maintain it.

Lyngby for me to get the win.

I like the look of Gent in this one and take them to beat Genk today in the Europa League.

Gent are quite formidable at home, they have won five from their last six on their own turf in all competitions and lets not forget what they did to Tottenham in the last round of this competition.

Genk are very inconsistent away from home, they win the odd game, lose the odd game and draw the odd game and the last time these two met in Gent, the home side prevailed 1-0.

It will be a close game, of that I have no doubts, there is just two points separating them in their domestic league and previous games between these two have been tight, but the current form of Gent is slightly better, they have home advantage and their confidence is very high following their win over Spurs.

All things considered I am taking Gent to win this one.

This is a match where we expect to see very few number of goals considering the defensive form of both Ajax and Copenhagen. 

Ajax are currently on an unbeaten six game run away from home in all competitions. FC Copenhagen on the other side has three clean sheets in their last three home matches.

It should also be noted that Ajax have never lost against a Danish team away from their home.

Ajax have been unbeaten in their last 11 Europa League games and will be looking to extend that run.

Considering the form of Ajax I am more confident of them getting a result in this game than the home side and take them to cover the spread.

Manchester United are now focused on the Europa League after their weekend draw against Bournemouth. 

Manchester United being sixth in the Premier League might be considering the Europa League as a better way to qualifying for next seasons Champions League.

Rostov however have been a tough nut to crack this season, remember they beat Bayern Munich 3-2 in Russia. 

Jose Mourinho appears to already be looking for excuses, moaning about the pitch, and when that happens it tends to lead to a negative result for the Portuguese maestro.

Basically, I fancy Rostov to get some sort of result in this game and will take them to cover the spread.

Inconsistent Birmingham host relegation threatened Wigan in this English championship game.

Birmingham may be safe from relegation this season even though they are in a lowly 17th place, but they cannot get too complacent, a few losses and they will find themselves fighting for survival.

Birmingham have lost their last two games at home, and from the last eight games (including home and away) they have lost six games and won twice. they really need to do better.

Wigan however are doing worse, over their last eight games they have won once, lost four times and drawn three times and on the road they have lost their last two on the bounce, though in all fairness they have won twice on the road from their last five away games.

Bottom line here is that Birmingham should really win this one, they are playing a team in awful overall form and who are there for the taking.

A great match between Napoli and Real Madrid is on the cards this evening in the Champions League.

Madrid ended up winning 3-1 in the first leg in Spain, a two goal deficit that Napoli will need to overcome, though they do have the away goal to their name, so not an impossible task.

Both sides have great players to call on, Real may have the edge in superstars but Napoli are at home and in front of their fervent fans will feel confident they can match Real on the field of play.

Reals midfield is formidable and with Ronaldo and Benzema up front Napoli will be hard pushed to keep a clean sheet for the entire 90 minutes.

I actually think that Napoli will win on the night, but not by enough to progress, I fully expect that Real will score at least once and a 2-1 scoreline looks good.

All things considered I will back Napoli to win but to be knocked out at the same time.

Brondby really should win this game, the only question for me is, how many will they win by? I expect it to be by at least a couple of goals.

Facts are simple, Brondby are the clear second best side in Denmark while Nordsjalland are just four points off bottom spot.

Brondby have won their last five from six home games and drawn the other while Nordsjalland have won just once in their last ten road games.

Now, Nordsjalland have managed a few draws away from home and Brondby have not always won easily at home, but the respective form and league positions makes a home win an almost certainty and for me there is far more chance of Brondby winning by at least two goals than not winning.

All things considered I am going for a clear home win and for Brondby to beat the spread.

I am going with Utrecht to win this one and win it by a couple of goals.

Den Haag are looking relegation in the face, whereas Utrecht are fighting for a spot in Europe next season, there is 22 points difference between these two teams and with home advantage Utrecht really should win and win comfortably.

Den Haag have been woeful away losing 9 from 11 road games, they have lost six of their last seven league games, drawing the other and are in awful form at this time.

Utrecht have won four from their last five games in the league and have lost just three times from their last 18 league games and those losses were to Ajax twice and PSV, two of the top three teams in the league.

All the conditions are here for Utrecht to get a good home win, they in form playing a team in horrendous form at the bottom of the league., 

I like the look of Silkeborg in this one and believe they are good value for a home win.

Silkeborg are misfiring slightly at the moment but they have a very good home record at the moment, they are unbeaten in their last eight home games, winning five and drawing three and while I accept that overall they have had a mediocre season and that their earlier home form was terrible, their current form at home is very solid.

Randers have lost their last six league games on the bounce, now that is bad form and have just one win from their last eight road games.

Now, Randers are actually above Silkeborg in the league, but recent form and their respective home and away records points to Silkeborg having the edge and with the odds available they are the value pick. 

I like the look of Boavista in this one, they are certainly the value pick.

Lets have a look at the recent form of the respective teams which will help us see where that value lies.

Over their last five away games Boavista have won three and drawn two, that includes a 3-3 draw with league leaders Benfica and wins over two teams above Moreirense in the standings.

Over the same period of five games at home Moreirense have won just once, lost two and drawn two and that win and two draws were against teams below Boavista in the table.

Boavista won 2-0 against Moreirense in the reverse fixture earlier on in the season and it is only Boavista that has improved on last seasons form.

Boavista are 14 goals better off in terms of goal difference than Moreirense and a win for the away side would see them go sixth,whereas a win for the home side would see them no better than fourth bottom.

Basically Boavista have had the better season and are in better form and the odds on them getting the win today are just too good to miss.

I am confident that we will see at least three goals in this game.

The stats are very mixed I will admit, however I am not basing my opinion on stats with regards to this game, but rather the way I see the game unfolding.

It is fairly simple logic that I am applying here, based on what I feel each team will achieve in this match up.

I expect Midtjylland to win, however I also expect that Lyngby will find the net on at least one occasion and therefore the logical outcome must be over 2.5 goals.

My reasoning is simple, Midtjylland are averaging exactly two goals per game at home and while they have been a little scratchy recently they did bounce back to form in their last match.

Lyngby have scored in eight of their last ten away games and are not an easy team to put away, they are just one point behind Midtjylland in the league and on form there is very little to choose between them.

Home advantage is important here and that is why I am confident we will see a home win and Lyngby have shown that they know how to score on the road, therefore over 2.5 goals is my pick based on the logic I am applying.

Rangers season has gone off the tracks slightly in the last few weeks, but I am confident that today is the day when they sort themselves out.

They have not won in their last four Premiership games, though three of them were away from home and the one at home was a draw, but even so, it is a poor run by their standards.

St Johnstone have won their last two away games and so on the face of it it is easy to see why confidence in Rangers is low, but a closer look at the recent results for the respective teams highlights the value that Rangers are today.

At home Rangers have lost just once this season and that was just recently against Celtic, hardly a surprise to be fair and St Johnstone are no Celtic.

St Johnstone may have won their last two away games but they lost the two before that and have won just three of their last eight Premiership games home or away.

Point is this, despite their poor form at the moment Rangers remain a formidable side at home while St Johnstone remain an inconsistent side when on the road.

I fully expect Rangers to win this game, question is by how many and in my opinion there is more chance of them winning by two or more goals than not and therefore I am backing them on the spread.

I am confident that Feyenoord will get the better of PSV Eindhoven today.

Feyenoord are the league leaders in the Netherlands, a clear eight points ahead of PSV, they have a great home record winning ten and drawing two from their 12 home games and not registering a single loss all season on their home turf.

It has to be said that PSV are also unbeaten away from home this season, drawing four and winning seven, but in all honesty that is not really that surprising, teams like PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord do tend to dominate this league.

But, the form over the whole season has favoured Feyenoord and with home advantage, even against PSV, I do expect them to prevail, it will be a close game but home advantage could be significant today

All things considered I am going for a home win.

I am backing Watford to claim a home win over West Ham United today.

Watford are not an easy team to beat at home, they have lost on four occasions on their home turf, but three of those losses were against Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal. Against lesser sides Watford tend to win and West Ham are certainly not one of the better sides.

That said, West Ham have been doing better recently on the road, they have won three of their last four Premier League away games, which was a change from their previous form on the road.

I do not trust West Ham when they are away, they are far too inconsistent, I have much more trust in Watford when they are at home and I am more confident that Watford will win than I am that this game will end in a draw or an away win.

All things considered I am going for a home win.

I am going with Brighton to win this game and cover the spread.

Brighton have won ten and drawn three of their last 13 Championship home games, a formidable record, they are second in the table and desperate to maintain that position and guarantee automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Reading are no walkovers I admit, they are currently sixth and occupy a play off spot, but their away record does not inspire, they have won just seven times from 16 away games and are just as capable of losing by more than a single goal as they are of not doing so.

Brighton are simply in better form, they have home advantage and are playing a team with a very average away record, all things considered I am going for Brighton to win this game and win it by at least two goals.

I am very confident that Utrecht will get the win in this one.

It is true that PEC have won their last two away games  but they were against the bottom two in the league, prior to those results they have won just once way all season long, they are not what you would class as a top Dutch side by any stretch of the imagination.

Utrecht are not one of the elite Dutch sides either, but they are certainly a better outfit that PEC and they will see this game as a great opportunity to claim three points and solidify their position in a Europa League play off spot.

Utrecht have lost just one home game in their last 8 home fixtures and that was against second placed Ajax, it should also be noted that they drew at home 3-3 against League leaders Feyenoord.

My confidence is very high that Utrecht will win easily today.

I cannot see anything other than a clear win today for Cardiff City.

Rotherham are woeful, they are rock bottom of the Championship on just 17 points, they will be relegated that is a certainty and they are nothing more than cannon fodder at this stage of the season. They have lost 15 of their 16 away games this season, drawing the other one, now that is an exceptionally poor away record by any metric.

Cardiff have won 5 of their last 8 home games, drawing one and their two losses in that period were against Norwich City and Barnsley, two teams above them in the league.

This really is a mismatch of a game and I simply cannot see how Cardiff will not win this one and win it by a couple of goals.

Take Cardiff on the spreads.

I fully expect that Hearts will win this one and win it by at least two goals.

Inverness are rock bottom, they have won just once on the road all season, they have lost on eight occasions and drawn three, they are not a good road side that is for sure.

Hearts beat Inverness earlier in the season at home 5-1 and there is very little evidence to suggest that this game will be any closer.

Hearts have lost just twice at home and those losses were against runaway leaders Celtic and second placed Aberdeen.

Whatever way I look at this game struggle to see any case for Inverness, they are a very weak team and away to Hearts is not a game I see them getting anything from.

I am taking Burnley to win this FA Cup match and to win it comfortably.

I do not expect Burnley to put out their very best side today but I do expect that they will field a team with mostly first team players and with their very impressive home record I cannot see anything other than a clear home win today.

Lincoln are a non league side playing a Premier League side and that will clearly show today.

I understand there are romantics out there that will be hoping for a FA Cup shock, but I just do not see it happening, the gulf in class is far too big and fitness will tell come the end of the game.

I see Burnely running out big winners in this one and am very happy to take what I regard as a low spread.

Big game for both sides and I am going with Newcastle to sneak the win.

There is 15 points between these two with Newcastle at the top and Norwich in 7th position. Both sides will want the win so that they can continue their drive to their respective end of season targets, what they will want to avoid is defeat.

The reason I am going with Newcastle is that Norwich are too inconsistent at this level, they may have won their last four at home but prior to that they lost three from five at home and while their recent run has got them back on track for a play off spot they are more than susceptible to going on another bad run.

Newcastle are also on a good recent run, be it on the road or at home, they have lost the odd game but generally speaking they bounce back quickly, they do not do losing runs and over the whole season so far (30 games) they have shown remarkable consistency.

If both sides play to their true ability then I expect Newcastle to grind out the win.

I am going with Northampton to get the win this evening and win by a couple of goals.

This game is all about current form for me, Northampton are in decent form whereas Swindon are on a terrible run.

Northampton have hardly had a great season but they have won their last two home games and they have a great chance of extending that to three wins on the bounce. They won both those games by two and three goals respectively and those opponents were the bottom side and the second bottom side, Swindon currently occupy third bottom.

Swindon have lost their last four games in a row in league one and have won just once in their last 11 league games, they have won just two from 16 away games this season and have lost seven of their last nine away games.

Northampton may well not be a great team but they are beating those in relegation places and I fully expect them to continue that pattern against a woeful Swindon.

I really like the look of Scunthorpe in this one and am very confident they will win and win comfortably.

Scunthorpe currently sit second in the league and occupy an automatic promotion spot, they have lost their last two league games, but for me that is just a blip and I do expect them to get back to winning ways today, they have lost just once at home this season and that was at the weekend, a surprising result that is very much out of character.

Walsall are in 12th place 16 points behind Scunthorpe, they lost 4-1 away at Bolton at the weekend and have won just three times on the road from 16 games, they have drawn a lot but they are playing the second placed team in the league and even a draw is a big ask.

All things considered I expect Scunthorpe to get back to winning ways today, I just do not see Walsall having enough to get even the draw and a backlash is on the cards here.

I fancy Benfica to beat Dortmund this evening and will be backing them on the spread.

Benfica do not lose at home that often, this season in all competitions they have lost just the once on their home ground and that was against Napoli in the group qualification stage, they have lost just twice domestically this season and sit top of the Portuguese league.

Dortmund on the other hand are not exactly setting the world alight, they sit 4th in the Bundesliga and are already 15 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, they have only won three times on the road domestically this season and lost away to bottom of the table Darnstadt at the weekend.

The bottom line for me is that Benfica are an extremely strong home side playing a side that have struggled to get anything from their travels this season.

I was tempted to back Benfica outright but the value was taking them on the spreads with the safety net of this pick being a draw no bet.

I am going to take Tottenham to beat a struggling Liverpool this afternoon.

When two of the big sides meet it really is a question of judgement as stats and form tend to have less of an impact.

If it is stats that we are to look at then Tottenham have the win all day long, they are in fantastic form, Liverpool are not, but that ignores the attitudes and motivation of the players involved.

It cannot be denied that players get more motivated when they play a big team and I do expect Liverpool to offer a better account of themselves than they have done recently against some poor teams, this is Tottenham they are facing and the Liverpool players I am sure will have the right attitude, but I am convinced that will not be enough to get them the win.

Tottenahm are simply the better side, they are second in the league for a reason, because they are a damn good side and I just do not believe that Liverpool have the players or confidence to win this one.

Like I say it is about judgement when it comes to the big games and in my judgement it is Tottenham they will show their superiority and get the win at Anfield.

I am going with Stoke City to record a home win over Crystal Palace today.

Against bottom six sides Stoke have won 6 from 8 home matches, they have lost just once in their last five Premier League games and are unbeaten in their last six home games, albeit they have drawn four of those games.

Palace are in a mess at the moment, they have won just once away in their last nine road games and that was their most recent away game against Bournemouth. Another small factor to bear in mind is that they have conceded first in 15 of their last 20 away games and against Stoke that is not what they will want to be doing.

Stoke are a strong home side against the weaker teams and Palace are a weaker side and I do expect them to collect all three points today.

I am going with Sunderland to get a mini surprise home win against an inconsistent Southampton.

Sunderland have lost 50% of their home games this season and won just three times, however they do seem to have halted their recent poor form and home draws against Tottenham and Liverpool and losing by a single goal to league leaders Chelsea shows that they are not an easy team to beat on their home turf in recent weeks, in fact just two losses at home from their last seven matches at the Stadium of Light confirms this.

Southampton on the other hand have lost their last three away games on the bounce, they have won just twice from their last 12 away games in the league and six losses from their last seven Premier League games shows a team that is simply not in good form at all.

There is no ignoring the respective league positions of these two teams, but recent results indicate to me that Sunderland are excellent value here and that they have a great opportunity to record a win over the struggling Saints.

I like the look of West Ham in this one and will be backing them to collect all three points against West Brom today.

West Ham at home are getting better, yes they have been soundly beaten by the very best teams but when they play the teams below the best they intend to win, a look at their last six home games prove this, they lost to Man Utd, Arsenal and Man City but beat Burnley, Hull and Palace.

West Brom for their part have just two wins from their last 11 away games, they do draw a lot, but the bottom line is that they really do struggle to get wins on the road.

This will be a tight game I am sure, but the home advantage that West Ham will enjoy today I believe will be the difference between the two sides and that they will sneak the win by a single goal.

This Superbowl for me will come down to whether the Falcons awesome offense can penetrate the New England formidable defence and I believe that is what will happen.

The headlines will no doubt be all about the opposing quarterbacks and rightly so and if it does come down to either Tom Brady or Matt Ryan then it will be Ryan that comes out on top in my opinion.

I know that Brady has the experience and is a legend, but Ryan has had an unbelievable season and I have seen no evidence that he will not perform to his full talent in the Super Bowl this evening.

There is so much info about both sides, hundreds of previews and the truth is that this comes down to ones judgement and mine is that the Falcons offense will be too much for Brady and the Patriots and that is why I am going with Atlanta.

I am going with Man Utd to get the win against a very poor Leicester side and to win it comfortably.

United have been struggling in front of goal recently but be assured that it is only a matter of time before they punish a side heavily and the circumstances of this game are perfect for them

United are on a 14 game unbeaten run in the Premier League, they have drawn their last three but in all fairness they were the better team and should have won those games, their problem is in front of the goal but I believe it is temporary.

Leicester are in very bad shape, they have gone from Champions to relegation contenders and two wins in their last 15 league games does not bode well, they have scored just once in their last six Premier games and there is no sign that they are on the verge of stopping the rot.

This game is perfectly set up for United and if they can manage to convert chances in to goals they will win convincingly.

I like the value of Brighton in this one and will be going with them to get the win.

Brighton are currently second in the league and looking good for an automatic promotion spot, they have lost their last two away games, but their overall form is excellent and those two losses were their only losses in their last 22 Championship games.

Brentford have won just two of their last nine league games at home, they are far from being a formidable home side and they do tend to lose to teams in the top half of the Championship. They lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle just recently and do not have a good record against the top ten sides.

Bottom line for me is this, if Brighton play to form they will win and I am confident that they will do that.

Brighton to win.

I am confident that Tottenham will win this one by at least two goals.

Tottenham uncharacteristically drew 0-0 with Sunderland last time out and you can be absolutely sure that they will have been very frustrated by that result, they will be determined to bounce back in front of their home fans with a good win to get their title challenge back on track.

Middlesbrough are not that bad a side, they are of course one of the inferior teams and are expected to be in the relegation dog fight but they can be difficult to break down, but playing against one of the best attacking sides in the league will probably be too much for them and I do expect them to ship goals today.

When Tottenham are in the mood they score freely and I fully expect this game to be a one way affair with Spurs attacking throughout and the question for me is will Boro be able to contain Tottenham, the answer is no.

I see Spurs winning this one by at least two goals, probably more and am happy to take the restrictive odds on this one. 

I like the look of Everton in this one.

Everton are getting better, they have four wins and two draws from their last six Premier League fixtures and at home are a difficult side to get anything from.

Bournemouth are limited, especially away from home and just two wins on the road this season proves that.

Everton have the better players, are in better form, are at home and it is difficult to see them not winning.

The issue for me was the spread, I would have preferred it to be less than the one goal but I do believe that there is more chance of the Toffees winning by two goals than not winning and so am happy to take them on the spread.

For me the worse case scenario is they win by just one goal and stakes are returned.

Take Everton -1

Massive game this between two of the top English Premier League sides.

The truth is that either team can win this one, Chelsea are favourites because they are in better form and are the home side, but Arsenal are more than capable of beating Chelsea if they play to their best form.

It is never easy to pick a winner when two top sides face off, but that does not mean that there is not a good opportunity to be had.

The odds on over 2.5 goals are a little low for me but I am very confident that both sides will score and that one of them will score at least twice.

This will be an entertaining attacking game between two sides that know how score and with Chelsea at home and Arsenal looking to bounce back from a shock home defeat against Watford I do see both sides going for the win.

All things considered I am going for over 2.5 goals.

I am going with Stoke to do no worse than draw at home against Everton.

Stoke have not lost at home since last November, since then they have won twice and drawn three times at the Britannia Stadium and that includes holding Man Utd to a draw, they are not an easy team to beat at home.

Everton away form in the league has picked up, they are unbeaten in their last three away games, but prior to that they were rank poor and the opposition recently has hardly been the best. Stoke are a much tougher opponent than the likes of Crystal Palace, Hull City and Leicester City and I am yet to be convinced that Everton can beat a team with a decent home record,

For this pick to actually lose then Everton must win, I am more confident that Stoke will either win or the game ends in a draw than I am of an away win.

Therefore Stoke on the spreads is the value pick.

Massive game this one and I see goals in it.

Liverpool need a win, they have had a dreadful January and in front of their home fans I fully expect them to give this a real go.

Chelsea are flying, we all know this, they are scoring for fun and if you take the loss to Tottenham out of the equation you will see that they have been beating anyone they faced knocking in 20 goals in six of their last seven games in all competitions.

I cannot predict a winner here if I am honest, Liverpool could do a Tottenham in front of their home fans and dominate Chelsea, while the Blues  could easily do a Swansea and put three past Liverpool on their home turf.

What I am very confident in is that both teams will be attack minded and that goals will come.

All things considered over 2.5 goals for me.

I am going with Burnley to win this one.

I have lost total confidence in Leicester City and the statistics back me up in that belief.

Burnley actually have the fifth best home record in the Premier League, better than both Man City and Man Utd while Leicester have the second worst away record in the Premier League, on those stats alone it is a no brainer for the home win.

But it is more than that, Leicester have won just twice in their last 13 league games and are going nowhere fast, whereas Burnley have won three of their last five league games with the two losses coming away at Man City and Arsenal.

Bottom line is this, Burnley are in far better form than Leicester and their home record is significantly superior to Leicester away record.

Burnely win for me.