Kalmar v Ostersunds

I am going for a home win in this one today.

There is not much separating these teams in the Swedish Allsvenskan, Ostersunds are in in sixth place, six points ahead of tenth placed Kalmar, however it is the significant difference in home and away form that has me going for a home win.

Promoted Ostersunds have "won" just once away all season, the records show two wins, one a 3-0 away win over Jonkpoings, however, they were actually drawing that match 1-1 into injury time, but with seconds left to go a fan attacked the Ostersunds keeper and the match was abandoned and then awarded to Ostersunds, it was in reality a draw, so as far as I am concerned they have won just once all season away from home and that was against the bottom side Falkenberg in their second game on the road.

Kalmar at home have lost three times this season, however some perspective is required, they lost their last home game against second placed Norkopping, prior to that they were on a seven game unbeaten streak at home and their most recent form at home has seen them draw with Malmo, who top the table and AIK, who are third as well as wins over Djurgarden and fifth placed Orerbro.

So, we have a team that has in all reality won just once away all season against a team that is very difficult to beat at home.

All things considered I am going for a home win.

Tromso v Lillestrom

When I first looked at this game I was tempted to do the draw, however, on further analysis I am quite confident that Tromso will emerge the winners.

Lillestrom are not in great form at the moment, they have not won in their last six games and over their last 13 games have won just once, they may have had a few draws in that run, but one win in 13 is terrible form and even backing them for a draw is risky.

Also, when these two teams met in Lillestrom in the reverse fixture Tromso won 4-2, for me that all points to a Tromso win, but it does depend on what sort of form Tromso are in as well.

Well, they are in mixed form, in their last six games they have lost three times and won three times, like I say, mixed, but what swung it for me was the home form of Tromso.

Tromso have lost four times at home this season, though three of those losses were against the top six, something Lillestrom obviously are not, plus they have won their last two games at home, not world class form overall, but enough to take care of Lillestrom today.

All things considered I am going for a home win.

Standard Liege v Celta Vigo

I am going with the home side to get the win in this one.

The Belgium league is getting stronger, it may not be as good as the Spanish league, but the better Belgium sides are more than capable of beating the middle ranked Spanish sides.

Standard Liege are having a mixed season I admit, but at home they are strong, they have just lost twice in their last 18 home games, that includes, domestic games, cup games, friendlies and European games, they are a very hard team to beat at home.

Vigo away from home over the same amount of games have registered just the six wins and two of those were simple friendlies, point is this, their away record is not good at all.

Also, over 15 away games going back to 2000 in the Europa League Vigo have won just twice, whatever way you look at is, that is poor.

So, we have a team very strong at home against a team with a woeful away record, for me that points to a home win, especially when you consider that the home side are actually the slightly better side.

Panathinaikos v Ajax

I am going with the Greek side to win this one, mainly because the form of Ajax is not good at the moment.

Ajax won at the weekend, a game I watched and they were fortunate, they were quite poor to be honest and they are not in the best form at this time, they were dumped out of the Champions League due to losing the second leg 4- to Rostov, hardly world beaters.

Ajax have won just four times away from home from their last 20 Champions League games and seven from 20 in the Europa League, not the best away record in Europe by any stretch of the imagination.

Panathinaikos have won 11 of their last 20 Europa League games, not outstanding but wins over the likes of Roma and draws against the likes of Tottenham show that they can turn it on at home when required.

If I had more confidence in Ajax I may have been tempted to go for the draw, but I do not and will be backing the Greeks to get the win.

Sporting Braga v Gent

I am backing the draw in this game tonight.

Braga are the favourites, they have home advantage, but they are not one of the elite Portuguese clubs and having watched Gent win 4-0 away in their last Europa league match, a game I opposed them, I am of the opinion that Gent are more than capable of holding Braga to a stalemate.

Gent are in very good form, they drew away to the best side in Belgium, Anderlecht, and they are unbeaten in their last eleven games in all competition, they are third domestically, just one point behind the leaders and they are full of confidence, they will not be easy to beat.

Braga are second in Portugal, however, at home they are not so formidable, they have won just once in their last six home games in all competitions and noticeably have drawn three of those games.

At home in the Europa League Braga are fairly decent, but they do have losses and their wins have not been against any of Europe's top teams, they have failed to win 50% of their last 12 home games in the Europa League, that is quite telling.

All things considered I am confident that Gent will be able to hold Braga to a draw this evening.

Rapid Wien v Genk

I am not sure why Rapid are such heavy favourites for this game, I understand they have home advantage, but for me they are not a better team than Genk and the home advantage I believe will be negligible.

I am not saying that I feel Genk will win this game, what I am saying is that I do not think that Rapid are anywhere near a sure thing and that the most likely outcome will be the draw.

Rapid have not won in their last four matches, both domestically and in Europe, that includes two home games, one of which was a 2-0 loss, however, the most important aspect of their recent win-less streak is three draws.

Genk on the other hand have lost just the once in their last five matches, that loss was their most recent game away to Standard Liege, in better words their most recent form, over the last five games is superior to Rapid.

Now, if there was much difference in the respective leagues then recent results would not be so important, but I actually feel that the Belgium league is stringer than the Austrian league and so the recent results are important.

All things considered I am backing the draw in this one.

Sassuolo v Athletic Club

I am taking the draw in this one.

For mid table and lower table teams in Spain and Italy there is not much difference, both leagues, beneath the top sides, are fairly evenly matched and I feel that will play out today.

Both clubs can point to recent good results, as an example Bilbao held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw while Sassuolo beat Palermo away from home in their opening league game.

Bilbao form is slightly better, but they are the away side and it is never easy to go to any Serie A side and win, no matter who you are.

If this game was played in Spain then I would go for the home win, but because Sassuolo are the home side I am confident that a draw will be the end result here. 

Viktoria Plzen v Roma

There is a huge gulf in quality between Italian sides and sides from the Czech Republic and I cannot see anything other than an away win here.

Roma were dumped out of the champions league against Porto, a game they were favoured to win, because of two red cards and just a bad night, they are much better than that and will want to show that this evening.

Plzen will have home advantage and their crowd will be passionate, but that can only carry you so far, the quality on the pitch is more important and while on occasions home advantage can make a difference, it will not tonight.

Both teams won at the weekend and so both come into this game in good spirits, if Roma were on a bad run or full of injuries or had just sacked their manager then a case may have been made for the home side, but none of that has happened, Roma are in good shape and as long as they play to form, they will win.

Roma to win for me, they are simply the better side and by quite a bit.

Young Boys v Olympiakos

I have actually watched both these sides recently and based on that I am going for Young Boys to get the win here.

Young Boys have been in very mixed form, it is quite weird how their form has fluctuated, they can beat Lausanne in their domestic league 7-2 and in the very next game, away to Borussia Munchengladbach in the Champions league, lose 6-1.

However, they are second in the Swiss league and overall are in good form, especially at home recently, they have lost once and won four times in their most recent home games, an example of their home form was when they beat Shahktar Donetsk in the champions league.

Olympiakos are one of the best Greek sides, but they are not world beaters, they are in the Europa League and not the Champions League for a reason and they are notoriously bad travellers in Europe, on a neutral ground they may be the slightly better team, but they are away and in this instance it is significant.

They have won just five times away in their last 20 Champions League games and six from their last 15 away games in the Europa League, not the best record at all.

All things considered I am going with Young Boys to win this one.

APOEL v Astana

Two teams that I have watched a lot recently and I struggle to find much between them, they really do come across as evenly matched and I see that being the result today, a draw.

Not too much should be read into Astana recent loss at home, they were focused more on this game and that alone tells you how seriously they will be taking this game tonight, they will be very prepared that is for sure.

APOEL will of course have a very passionate Cypriot crowd behind them and I was tempted to go with them based on that, it could be significant, but further analysis of the respective teams tells me that there is not that much difference between the pair.

Astana were very unlucky to be knocked out of the champions league against Celtic and you do not get many crowds more passionate than Celtic fans and it did not bother Astana in the slightest, it was more the fact that the ref had a very poor game and two penalties that saw them lose 2-1 away to the Scots, point being is that Astana can handle passionate crowds away from home and they played with massive credit away to Celtic.

APOEL failed to win at home against Copenhagen, they were actually unlucky, but regardless, home advantage did them no favours in that game and they were knocked out of the Champions League simply because they could not make home advantage tell.

Bottom line for me is that Astana are good enough not to lose this game, I am not saying they will win, but the fact that I cannot see them losing means the draw is the most logical outcome.

I will be taking the home side to claim all three points in this fixture tonight.

Corinthians may be a good 11 points and 11 positions above Cortiba, but that is very misleading.

On the road Corinthians have won just four times this season, they have lost an incredible eight times without a single draw, in better words, 66% of the time they lose when away from home.

Cortiba are almost the opposite, they have lost just the twice on their home patch, they have won six times and drawn four times, they are not an easy team to beat at home despite their lowly position.

Initially I was tempted to go for the draw, but I cannot get away from the fact that Corinthians have not draw a single away game in the league in twelve attempts and their loss record is very poor for such a quality side.

All things considered I am going with Cortiba.

Due to time constraints analysis will be thin today, however, every pick has been fully analysed and researched and come with my full confidence.

I am going with the draw in this one, both teams are in fairly decent form without setting the world alight, only a point separates them after six league games and I can see both being fairly negative tonight, I do not expect a high scoring game and am confident that come 90 minutes these two will have played out a stalemate

Due to time constraints analysis will be thin today, however, every pick has been fully analysed and researched and come with my full confidence.

This is a perfect time for the Gunners to be facing the French Champions, PSG are full of injuries and will have a makeshift defence on display today, they have had a bad start to their domestic season and are clearly missing Zlatan up front.

Arsenal got very lucky at the weekend, but those sort of wins tend to motivate the big teams and Arsenal are no exception, their record in France is excellent and if they were ever going to beat a team of PSG calibre on their ground, it is now.

Due to time constraints analysis will be thin today, however, every pick has been fully analysed and researched and come with my full confidence.

I really fancy Napoli to get a very important away win this evening, they are a very strong side, they have got off to a very good start domestically and even though Serie A is not the force it once was, it is certainly a lot better than the Ukrainian league.

Kiev have also got off to a good start domestically, but in their last two games they have dropped points including a home loss, they will of course do well domestically this season, it is a given, but against the top sides in Europe they will struggle and that is what I see happening this evening.

Napoli to win.

Due to time constraints analysis will be thin today, however, every pick has been fully analysed and researched and come with my full confidence.

Two evenly matched side and I am of the opinion that we will see a draw between these two today.

Both have got off to poor starts this season and self preservation in terms of points will be in play today, in better words both will be happy with a point when all is said and done.

Preston have lost all three games at home this season and Derby have lost two of their away games, so you can see why a point would be welcomed, especially by Preston.

Draw for me

Paris St Germain v St Etienne

I fully expect that PSG will win this one and win it comfortably.

The French champions were shocked last week suffering a 3-1 loss away to Monaco, that would have been a wake up call and the timing could not be better at the start of the season.

PSG tend to win convincingly at home, their last five home games in Ligue 1 saw them win all five games by at least three goals, which puts into perspective the handicap of 1.5 today.

St Etienne have lost their last three away games at PSG by at least two goals, in fact they lost by two goals, three goals and five goals.

St Etienne have got off to a mixed start this season, winning once, drawing once and losing once and it seems that they face an inconsistent season, whereas PSG are expected to dominate the French league once again.

With their home record, their winning margins and record over St Etienne I am very confident that PSG will win this game by at least a couple of goals, if not more.

Start v Aalesunds

I never like doing the over 3 goals but the option of over 2.5 goals is not available and I am confident that there will be enough goals in this game to provide us with a winner.

These two teams occupy the bottom two positions in the standings, they are both poor teams with very poor defences.

The last five Aalesunds away games have all had at least three goals in them, they have conceded 19 goals in those games, that is nearly four goals per game.

Start at home are not much better, four of their last five home games have all had at least three goals in them and they have conceded 16 goals in those games, just over 3 goals a game.

Finally, five of the last seven games between these two in all competitions have had at least three goals in them, though the last two recent meetings have not, but based on the current home and away form of these two the chances are that this game will revert to the previous games between these two and feature goals, lots of them.

All things considered I am going overs on this one.

Santa Cruz v Chapecoense

This game looks like it will end in over two goals to me and while the odds are not that great, they are certainly value when all has been considered.

Nine of the last ten away games featuring Chapecoense have had at least three goals in them and all ten have had at least two, this is a team that does not do away games with a bundle of goals in them.

The down side to those stats is that Santa Cruz tend to feature in home games that have less than three goals in them, that will have something to do with their league position, they are second bottom and so being defensive is in their nature, it is about self preservation.

However, Santa Cruz need to start racking up some points, they will be in big trouble if they do not, a win today would see them still four points below safety, a loss and they are in real trouble, so I do expect that Santa Cruz will start pushing for the wins and while they are not actually getting wins at the moment, the signs are there that they are becoming more attack minded, as an example, four of their last six games home and away have featured at least three goals in them.

All things considered, I expect there to be goals and while the odds are not great, a win is a win and I expect this pick to be a winner. 

Figueirense v Atletico PR

This one is a tricky one, however, it is the away form of Atletico PR that has been the deciding factor for me and given me the confidence to go with a home win today.

That said, the home form of Figueirense is no great shakes, but their problem has not been losses on their home patch, but draws, they have actually lost just the once all season at home, in terms of losses that is one of the best home records in the league, it is the six draws from their 11 home games that have cost them dearly this season

Atletico away form however, is rank poor, they have lost eight from 11 away games, drawn twice and won just a singular road game, whatever way you dress that up, it is poor.

Atletico have conceded first in nine of their away games this season, if that was to happen again then Figueirense will have to hold on, something they have struggled to do this season, naturally Atletico could easily score first and that would throw the game plan out of the window, but that would be a rare occurrence, all that Figueirense need to do is stay solid at the back and they will win, Atletico will not be able to keep them out all 90 minutes.

I am going for a home win, their home record is strong and certainly a lot better than Atletico away.

Botafogo v Fluminense

Middle of the table clash in Serie A today and I am going with the home side to emerge victorious.

Botafogo are fairly strong at home, they have lost just twice from 11 home games and won on six occasions, their losses at home were in the first weeks of the season and since then have gone eight games unbeaten on their home patch.

Another factor to take on board is that the games that they have won at home have been against some of the top clubs in Brazil, they beat the league leaders Palmeiras 3-1, drew with second placed Flamengo 3-3 and beat third placed Atletico Mineiro 3-1, that is seven points from a possible nine against the top three in the table.

Fluminense beat Santa Cruz last time they were on the road, however, previous to that they had won just once in nine road games, so basically just two wins on the road from their last ten trips, not exactly impressive.

There are other stats that can be thrown at you, but the bottom line is that at home Botafogo are strong and in form while Fluminense struggle on the road.

Overall, both teams are in average form, winning some and losing some, but it is the home advantage and the strength of Botafogo at home that has swung this one for me and it is a home win I am going for.

Botafogo to win

Bulgaria v Luxembourg

This will be a one sided game and Bulgaria really should emerge as convincing winners.

Luxembourg are minnows in soccer terms, they are slightly better than most minnows, but they are small fry none the less.

Bulgaria are not world beaters, they are a shadow of the team that we previously saw, however, they should have far too much for a team like Luxembourg, especially when they are at home.

There was never any doubt for me in selecting this game that Bulgaria would win, it was just a question of how many goals they would win by and two goals is not a lot to ask for, not with the gulf in quality between these two.

Luxembourg have lost eight of their last nine games by at least two goals and I really do not see that being any different tonight.

Bulgaria to win by at least two goals.

Andorra v Latvia

Latvia may not be one of the big boys in International soccer, but they are certainly a bigger and better team than Andorra and they should have more than enough to register a convincing win this evening in Europe.

When Latvia play the minnows they tend to win by two goals or more, recent results have seen them defeat Gibraltar 5-0 and Luxembourg 3-1 and while their recent positive results do mask their previous woeful form, they really should extend their unbeaten streak to six games today.

It has been 83 games since Andorra won a game, they have had the odd draw and have been close to some teams, but generally speaking they lose and lose by a good few goals, 

Three of Andorra's last five games have ended with them not being beat by 2 or more goals, but their games before that saw them take some severe beatings and their recent games have been against some very poor teams, not that much better than them.

Whatever way I look at this game all I see is a Latvia win and and a win by at least two goals.

Serbia v Republic of Ireland

Tough start for game for the Irish and I am fairly confident that it will be a losing start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Serbia will be without Aleksandar Kolarov and Nemanja Matic but they will still be fielding a strong team and they are not an easy team to beat in their home country.

There has been terrible rain in Belgrade and the game has only just been given the go ahead, so conditions may be a little difficult underfoot but that should not bother either team, I was not expecting a free flowing game anyway.

Ireland will be defensive this evening and it will be the Serbs will do most of the attacking, I have very little confidence in the Irish being able to hold the Serbs at bay for 90 minutes, whereas I do see the Serbs being able to neutralise the Irish, who are not as potent up front as they used to be. 

For me the Serbs will have just that little bit too much for Ireland will emerge with all three points.

Czech Republic v Northern Ireland

I struggle to see Northern Ireland getting anything from this game.

I know they did really well at the Euro's and in the qualifications for the Euro's, I also appreciate that the Czechs were a bit of a let down at the Euro's, but they are at home, they are the better side and I fully expect that they will confirm my opinion with a home win this evening.

The results over the last couple of years do give the Irish side a fighting chance, I acknowledge that, but for me it is all a bit of a flash in the pan, I cannot see them repeating those results in this campaign, they will be hard to break down and they will look to score from set pieces and possibly a counter attack, but at some point those tactics will just not be enough and I expect that to be the case today.

Northern Ireland are certainly an organised outfit and the Czechs will have to be patient and play to their strengths to get the win, but I cannot see Northern Ireland holding out for a full ninety minutes, I will be very surprised if the Czechs fail to break them down and claim all three points today.

Based on my own experience of both sides I am going with the Czechs to get the win.

Norway v Germany

There is a huge gulf between these two nations and anything less than a convincing away win would be a huge surprise to me.

Germany are the world champions, they lost out to host nation France in the Euro semi finals and are one of the best teams in International football, if not the best.

Norway could not even qualify for the Euro's, they are a very average International side and looking at their recent results at home when playing against the elite on football they tend to lose, they may well get results against some decent International sides, but when it comes to the very best and Germany are among the very best, they lose.

The handicap has been set at 1, which is a little high, but I am convinced that the Germans will win, it is just a case of by how many, they may well win by just the single goal, Norway are not minnows, but I am of the opinion that there is more chance of Germany winning by at least two goals rather than a single goal and for me the Germans have an excellent chance of covering the spread today.

Germany to win by a couple of goals.

San Marino v Azerbaijan

Two minnows of International football, but even at this level there is still one team far superior to the other.

Azerbaijan may be a very sub standard team, but that are still a whole lot better than San Marino and should really win this game by at least two goals.

You have to go back 12 years for the last time San Marino won an International game at any level, in fact that is their only win ever against another nation, it was against another minnow, Liechtenstein.

Back in November 2014 they managed a goalless draw against Estonia, prior to that they got draws against Liechtenstein, Latvia and strangely enough against Turkey back in 1993, though Turkey were hardly a quality footballing nation back then, that is it at International level, one win, four draws and that win was in a friendly, they have never won a game in World Cup or European Cup qualifications.

Now, Azerbaijan are not that much better, but they do get wins now and then and some decent draws, examples are draws with the likes of Croatia and Norway, wins over Moldova and Malta and they are results from the last two years, there have been other wins and draws in that time as well.

Anyone looking at results from almost any time period can see the world of difference between these two sides, last time out Croatia lost 10-0, yes 10-0, whereas the last game for Azerbaijan was a draw with Canada.

When I first looked at this game I had a 2.5 deficit on the handicaps in my head, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the handicap set at just 1.5, for me that is a gift and one I will gladly accept.

San Marino do on occasions have a close game, a recent 2-1 loss to Lithuania proves that, but some perspective is required, their game previous to that was a 6-0 loss to England, the game after that Lithuania result was 7-0 loss to Switzerland, a 2-0 loss to Slovenia and then that 10-0 thrashing.

As I have stated, Azebaijan are a minnow, but they are certainly a better side than San Marino and I fully expect them to show that today, easily.

Slovakia v England

England tend to be a different beast when it comes to Qualification games as opposed to tournament games, so often they have a great qualification campaign and then get dumped out of the actual tournament, as was the case in the Euro's this year.

I do expect England to get their campaign off to a winning start under new manager Sam Allardyce, I actually believe he is the right man to get England playing to their true ability and not just in the qualifying rounds but also in the tournaments, he is the man that can turn the England boys into men, something many have failed to do previously.

That England have the better players today is not up for debate, they do, but time and time again on the big stage they let themselves and their fans down, they are certainly a better side than Slovakia and if Allardyce can get the players playing how he wants then they will win this game, I strongly believe he will do just that, I also feel that the England players will want to show that the humiliation at the hands of Iceland was a one off.

Slovakia obviously have home advantage and on occasions they can play very well, they will not be walkovers, but I cannot see them getting anything from this game, England are simply the better side and as long as they are mentally prepared then England will win.

England to win for me

Chicago Fire v Philadelphia Union

I am confident that this game will end in a draw.

Chicago have actually improved recently, they did take a 6-2 thrashing away to DC United last time out, however, prior to that they were unbeaten in three games and at home they are unbeaten in their last eight MLS games, not bad for a team in bottom position and it should also be noted that they have drawn five of their last home games.

Philadelphia are in decent form, they won their last two games away and overall have won three of their last four games, if this game was played in Philadelphia then it would be a home win all day long, however, they are not at home, Chicago are.

So, we have a team at home that are unbeaten in eight but sit at the bottom of the table against a team in good recent form who have amassed a whopping 17 points more this season than their opponents.

Considering the home form of Chicago and the overall form of Philadelphia I am confident that this game will end in a draw.

New England v Colorado Rapids

I like the look of the draw in this match up between New England and Colorado

New England have lost both their most recent home games, allowing in six goals without reply, they did win their two home games before that and what they have shown is that at home they are inconsistent and overall, home or away, they have lost five of their last six matches, drawing the other, hardly a team in inspired form.

Colorado have hit a bit of a bad patch themselves, they have won just once in their last six games home or away and have not won in their last five away games.

Colorado for me are the better side, however, they are not in good form presently and have been drawing games on the road, New England are also in bad form but they are at home and that will count a little, especially against a Colorado side that are struggling to get a win themselves.

So, we have two teams in bad form, the away side is the better but that is negated by home advantage and a draw is the most likely outcome.

Draw

Whitecaps v New York RB

I am confident that there will be goals in this game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and New York Red Bulls.

The last four New York Red Bulls games have all been 2-2 draws, that is quite an impressive feat actually, but for me I am only interested in the amount of goals and that is fairly consistent, four games with four goals and six of their last eight road games have all been over 2.5 goals.

Four of the last five Vancouver games at home have had over 2.5 goals in them and six of their last eight home games have had over 2.5 goals in them.

So, we have an away team that in their last eight games have over 2.5 goals in 75% of them and a home side with an exact same record.

If we take home and away games then we have 6 of the last 8 New York games with over 2.5 goals, however with Vancouver it is nowhere near as consistent, just two in the last eight, however, five of those games were on the road, they are a very different team when at home.

All things considered I am going over 2.5 goals.

Luton v Wycombe

Still early days yet in English football, however, one can still identify a good opportunity and that is what has happened in this particular game.

Luton are second in the table after five games and have a good recent home record, it is not just the two homes unbeaten this season, but also the end of last season where they went unbeaten in their last three games on their home patch.

Wycombe have not won away in their last 11 away games, in better words both teams have started this season how they finished last season.

Luton have the winning momentum at home while Wycombe' have that losing momentum on the road and for me that is key today.

I expect both Luton and Wycombe to maintain their form and if that is what occurs today then it will be a home win, which is exactly what I expect to happen.

Luton to win.

Plymouth v Cheltenham

Plymouth should feel confident of getting all three points against Cheltenham, I know I am.

Plymouth are quite strong at home, they do lose the odd home game, they lost to Luton in their first home game this season 3-0, however they won their most recent home match against Mansfield 2-0, they went very close to promotion last season when they made the play offs and will be looking to repeat that this season.

Cheltenham are a promoted side, they came up from non league football last season with a whopping 101 points, however, professional soccer is a whole lot different from part time soccer and they will not get such an easy ride this season, they have drawn both their away games so far and have won just the once in their opening 5 games, they probably realise now that it is a lot tougher in league two than it was in the national league.

So, we have a team that was almost promoted last season against a promoted team, a team that is fairly decent at home against a team that has yet to prove how they will do in full time professional soccer, for me it is fairly easy to go with Plymouth to get all the three points today, simply put, they are the better team.

Plymouth to win.

Chester v Forest Green

A National league game that has stood out for me for an overs pick.

I am not overjoyed at the totals being set at 3, it should be over 2.5 goals, however, it is what it is and I am still confident that there will be enough goals in this game.

In six of Chesters games this season there have been at least three goals in the game, this is a team that can both score and let goals in freely.

Forest Green are second in the table and riding high in the confidence stakes, in their last two games they have score nine goals and let in two and they are on a five game winning streak.

So we have two teams that are playing games with a lot of goals featured, the home side is struggling to play any sort of decent defensive game while the away side are scoring freely.

All things considered I am confident that we will see at least three goals in this game with a high probability of more.

Over 3 goals.

The Handicap has been set very high on this one, however, the USA should really be able to cover it.

St Vincent are what is described as minnows in football terms, they really are out of their depths at this level and if they can keep the scoreline down to a four goal deficit then they will probably be pleased with that.

The US beat St Vincent last year 6-1 in the states and despite this game being played in St Vincent the result should not be any different.

Generally when a handicap has been set so high it makes bettors nervous, but in this case the high handicap is justified.

Not all St Vincent games end in goal droughts, they actually do win a few, however that is at their level, when they play higher grade teams they tend to take a bit of a beating.

All things considered I am going for the US to beat St Vincent by at least four goals.

Ecuador v Brazil

A 2018 world cup qualifier this evening in a game that should be a close affair.

Brazil are not the team of old, they are quite mediocre and for the first time in a generation they are struggling to make a qualification position, which takes some doing when 40% of the teams qualify automatically and another team is into a play off.

Ecuador currently sit second behind Argentina, they have lost just once in the qualifiers and are unbeaten in their three home games, this is no easy game for Brazil that is for sure.

It is difficult to know what Brazil team will turn up, will it be the one that can turn the magic on or the team that can be brushed aside, it takes a brave man to plump for Brazil away from home.

I am unable to pick a winner in this one, additionally I am unable to pick one on the handicaps, however, that does not mean there is not a value pick in this game, there is.

I am going to back the overs in this one, I do see goals as I can see both teams scoring, Ecuador have home advantage and two of their three games at home have finished over 2.5 goals, while Brazil are always dangerous, their last away game in the qualifiers was overs and while the game before that was not, they did score and that game was against Argentina, the best team in South America.

All things considered I am going with over 2.5 goals.

Colombia v Venezuela

It really is hard to look beyond a home win here and a comfortable home win at that.

Venezuela are a really poor side, they hardly ever win away from home in the world cup qualifiers, over the last three world cups they have won just three times away from home in 20 games and those wins were against teams a lot poorer than this Colombia side, they have lost two of their three away games in this campaign by more than two goals and the chances are that is what will happen tonight.

Colombia at home are quite strong, in their last ten at home in the qualifiers they have lost just twice, both times to Argentina and drawn against Chile, other than that, they win and the further you go back the more that record continues.

It will be a major surprise if Venezuela get even a point from this game, a home win is expected all day long, the only real question is by how many will Colombia win by.

As stated above, Venezuela have already lost two of their three games on the road by at least two goals, with regards to Colombia, they have won two of their three home games by at least two goals, the only blip was the loss to Argentina.

The handicap has been set at 1.5 goals and for me that is about right, I do expect Colombia to win and I do expect them to win by at least two goals.

I am going with Portland to get the better of Seattle this evening.

Portland have won three of their last four home games, losing only the once to LA Galaxy and in that run of wins was a 3-1 win over today's opponents.

Seattle have won just the once in their last six away games, losing three of them and drawing the other two, though they are on a run of five unbeaten games at the moment.

Portland are not in such good form I admit, they have won just twice in their last six games, however, three of those losses were on the road.

The last four MLS games between these two have all been won by the home side and I see no real reason why that should be any different this evening, yes Seattle are in better current form, but circumstances have had a lot to do with that and at home Portland will feel confident that they can beat Seattle yet again at Providence Park.

Home win for me.

I am going with the New York Red Bulls to win this one and to win it by two or more goals.

The Red Bulls are one of the top MLS teams and at home they are formidable, in their last 9 games at home they have won 8 of them and in that run they have won by at least two goals on six occasions, including 4 of the last 5.

New England have lost 4 of their last six away matches, drawing twice and three of those losses have seen them lose by at least two goals.

Additionally, New England have taken just one point from their last five games, while New York are unbeaten in their last eight games, albeit with some draws thrown in.

Point is this, New York at home tend to win with a bit in hand while New England tend to lose comfortably away from home, certainly recently anyway and therefore the pick for me is for a home win on the spreads giving up one goal.

I like the look of overs in this one.

It would have been better if this game was over 2.5 goals and not over 3 goals but that is the only option I have on here, but regardless, I am still confident that we will see at a minimum three goals, very probably more.

Valerenga have improved leaps and bounds in recent weeks and are now very competitive, Odd are one of the better sides in Norwegian football, but d have their inconsistent moments and this sets us up for a classic and entertaining game.

4 of Odd last 5 home games have had a min of three goals in them with 3 of those games having 5 or more goals.

4 of the last 5 Valerenga away games have had a minimum of 4 goals in them, so you can see that both these teams know how to score goals but at the same time let them in.

All things considered I am going over 3 goals in this game.

I actually fancy Start to get a result against Bodo/Glimt today

Start have had an awful season, they are rock bottom and have not won a single game on their travels, however, they have drawn 50% of their away games this season and have held their own against some of the top teams in the league.

Bodo are not exactly world beaters themselves, they are in a relegation dogfight as well and have won just three times from 11 games at home, their place is not a fortress by any stretch of the imagination.

I am not saying that Start will win, but I am far more confident in them getting a draw or grabbing their first away win of the season than I am with Bodo winning.

Take Start on the spread

Columbus Crew v SJ Earthquakes

I am going with the draw on this one.

Both these teams have made a habit of drawing games in recent weeks, neither seems able to put games away on a regular basis, but then neither are easily turned over.

Columbus may have lost their last home game 2-1 to Philadelphia, but prior to that they had drawn an incredible six games in a row, that is a team that likes a home draw.

San Jose have drawn three of their last five away games, however, they won their most recent road game 2-1 at the Whitecaps, their first away win of the season and they have been harder to beat when away than they are to beat, in fact, they have drawn six of their 12 road games this season.

Neither team is that good truth be told and neither has had a decent season, a lot of that has to do with so many draws involving these teams and I see no reason to think that tonight will be any different.

Draw

Philadelphia Union v Sporting KC

I like the look of overs in this one.

When playing at home Philadelphia games are almost certain to have at least three goals in them, their last seven games at home have all had a minimum of three goals in them, whether they win, draw or lose.

Three of Sporting KC last five away games have had three or more goals in them and while over the whole season a significant amount of their away games have finished below three goals, that has not been the case in their most recent road trips, with the last two having at least three goals in them.

That said, it is far less to do with Sporting and more to do with Philadelphia, if Sporting had been playing almost any other team I would probably have gone with unders, but not when Philadelphia are involved, you just cannot ignore the amount of homes games of theirs that have goals in them.

All things considered I am taking over 2.5 goals in this one.

DC United v Chicago Fire

Chicago have hit a bit of form recently but for me that is no more than a hiccup, they are not that good a team and their away form has been rank poor this season.

DC United must see this game has very winnable, they may have a very mixed home record, but they are playing against a team that has won just once on the road all season and have lost nine from 12 away matches.

There have been a few draws recently for DC United and to some degree that applies to Chicago as well, but I cannot ignore the appalling away form of Chicago and I am more confident in a home win than any other result.

Take DC United to win.

Hull City v Manchester United

Hull City have surprised a lot of people with their good start to the season, they have won both their opening Premier League games as well as their league cup game, they appear to have their scoring boots on and are not the walkovers that a lot of people had expected, myself included.

Man Utd are doing what is expected, they are winning their games and are a lot more organised than last season, Jose Mourinho is stamping his authority on them and it is showing.

I feel that Man Utd will win this one, however, I also believe that Hull City will make them work for the win and in fact, I expect the home side to score in this game, as they have done in every game this season in all competitions.

Logically, if I believe that Hull will score and Man Utd will win then there has to be a least 3 goals and therefore my pick is for over 2.5 goals, which is certainly a lot better value than an outright United win.

Over 2.5 goals.

Haugesund v Brann

I like the look of overs in this one.

There is very little separating these two in the league, both are in decent form and both are pushing for a European place.

Haugesund are quite strong at home, they have won three of their last four at home and eight of their last ten games have had at least three goals.

Brann are not so strong on the road, however, they have improved on their travels recently and even though they lost last time out when away they had put together two decent road performances before that, additionally, their last two away games have seen goals in them and while they tend to play in games with less than 3 goals when on the road their recent upturn in form on the road has seen the goals fly in, no coincidence that.

All things considered I am going for over 2.5 goals in this one.

This game should be full of goals and I am backing the result to have a minimum of three goals in it, probably more.

The stats speak for themselves, covering this season and last season both these teams are regularly involved in games that have at least three goals in them, obviously not all, that depends to some degree on the opposition, however, neither of these teams are what you would consider a top Dutch side and when playing teams of similar capability there tends to be goals.

As an example, all three of Utrecht games this season have had a min of three goals and two of Vitesse three games have featured at least three goals.

Add to that the fact that the last six head to head meetings between these two sides have all had a min of three goals then you can see the high probability that there will indeed be goals between these two.

The overs total in this one is set at 3, though I am sure that most sports books offer it at over 2.5 goals at slightly lower odds and if you are able to do that then I would advise you do so, however, over 3 goals is still a good bet.

If Derby County have any serious hopes of getting into the play offs again this season or even automatic promotion then these are the sort of away games they really must be winning.

Burton are a promoted team, they are very limited, they took a serious thrashing midweek against Premier League Liverpool and morale is probably low, they are ripe for the taking and I fully expect Derby to take full advantage.

Derby won away last time out against Preston North End and will be confident they can stretch that to two wins on a trot on the road.

Burton won their last home match against Sheffield Wednesday 3-1, however, Wednesday are more likely to be alongside Burton this season fighting off relegation and that result should be taken into context, plus that game was prior to their confidence busting home thrashing at the hands of Liverpool.

This game has come at the right time for Derby and they really should win, I will be surprised if they do not and it would force me to reevaluate their promotion chances.

It may be early on in the season, but these are the games that can define a teams season, if Burton get a result then they will feel they can maintain a place in the championship, if they lose then they will probably realise they have a very tough fight to stay in the championship.

The same applies to Derby, win and they will feel they can mount a push for promotion, lose and their will be serious questions.

Take Derby to win this one.

The odds on the home team seem too high for me and I am backing them to get the win today.

Gent have returned to European football for the first time in four years, that alone tells you they are not one of the top teams, they play in a very average league and even though a look at their record over the years in Europe is misleading because of that break, it is still revealing.

The Belgium's have only won twice on the road in Europe since 2000 from 12 games, in total they have lost 75% of their games away, they have played just the one European game away this year and that was a draw against Romanian side Vitroul, though in all fairness they did win the first leg 5-0.

Point is this, the Belgium's do not do well when on the road in Europe against all sorts of sides, additionally they have drawn both their domestic away games this season. Now, Gent finished second in their league last season but even then they won less than 50% of their away games.

Shkendija from Macedonia are obviously not one of the top side in Europe, they come from a poor league, however, they are very strong at home.

The Macedonian outfit have played six games in the Europe League at home and have won four and drawn two, they have yet to be beaten and have played some teams comparable to Gent in quality.

They have won their last ten home games domestically and have lost just once in their last 23 games at home, basically they have turned their home ground into a fortress.

Gent carry a 2-1 advantage from the first leg and they are the favourites, but I cannot ignore their appalling away record in Europe as opposed to the awesome home record of Shkendija.

The crowd in Macedonia will be manic and passionate, this is a huge game for them, they will create a very intense atmosphere and Gent will have to be very strong mentally to cope, something their track record indicates they are not.

I see the Macedonians coming out strong and going for a goal early on, if they manage to score then Gent have to score, which will leave them exposed at the back and I cannot see them attacking too often if the game remains at 0-0, thus inviting Shkendija to attack more often.

It will not be a huge surprise if Gent win, as stated above, they are favourites, however, it would not be a surprise for me if the home side win either and their odds are way out of balance for me and begging to be backed.

History and stats point to a home win and for me there is a significant advantage for the home side because of the feverish support I expect them to get.

I am a little surprised by the odds on overs in this game and am happy to accept the generosity of the sports books.

The reason that I am going with overs is that history and statistics is on my side, as well as current form.

Rostov have only had the one home game in the champions league and that had four goals in it, so hardly the most comprehensive statistic, however Ajax away games in the champions league do tell a slightly different story.

Over their last ten games away from home in the champions league there have been eight games involving Ajax that have ended with over 2.5 goals, including four of the last four Ajax away games in the champions league.

All three of Ajax games in their domestic league have had more than 2.5 goals, while the last two Rostov domestic games have had over 2.5 goals.

This tells me that neither team has formidable defences, that both know how to score and that both play open games, I also cannot ignore the away form of Ajax in Europe, it is quite compelling.

There is also the complexities of champions league football, the first game ended 1-1 at Ajax, which means that the Dutch side must win and hope that the home side does not score and considering that Rostov have failed to score just once in their last 12 home games and just once in their last 17 games home or away in all competitions you can see how unlikely it is that the home side will not score.

If Rostov score, as I fully expect them to, then Ajax have no choice but to attack, that leaves them open at the back if they fail to score themselves and of course if they did, then it would be on the home side to go on the attack.

Bottom line for me is that I do expect at least three goals in this game and will be backing over 2.5 goals confidently.

This champions league 2nd leg match looks like it could be a classic as both teams enter the game full of confidence after winning starts to their respective domestic campaigns.

The first leg ended 1-1 in Portugal.

I am very confident that this game will be over 2.5 goals and there is very good reason for my confidence.

The biggest problem for Roma is their defence and with Vermaelen serving a suspension, Rudiger out and doubts over Manolas and Paredes then you can see that they will be fielding a very vulnerable defensive line up.

Up against that defence will be Andre Silva who has scored in all three Porto games this season, two domestic and against Roma in the first leg, in better words a makeshift Roma defence is up against a striker in top form at the moment.

It should also be pointed out that Roma have only kept one clean sheet in their last 17 European home games, some record that.

The bottom line for me is that I fully expect that Porto will score at least once, they have the players to do that and history is on their side.

On the other side we cannot forget that Roma went to Portugal and drew, the Italians are a very good side, they may have defensive worries, but they are a very good attacking side and I can see no reason why they will not score tonight against a team that could not beat them on their own ground.

The logic is there for all to see, Porto, in my opinion, will score and Roma will have to therefore score twice in order to progress, though of course if Porto were to score twice then Roma would be in serious trouble of elimination.

Bottom line for me is that this game has goals written all over it, I expect Porto to score and for Roma to score at least twice, therefore the pick is over 2.5 goals.

This is a game that Malmo really should win and win comfortably and I will be backing them to do just that.

Malmo have won four of their last six home games by at least two goals, they are formidable at home and when they are in the mood they can inflict a beating on the visitors.

Jonkopings are no walkovers I admit, they have lost just once on the road this season by two goals or more, not bad for a promoted side, however, they are facing Malmo and if there is one team that can rack up the goals it is Malmo.

Jonkopings have done rather well this season, but they remain a promoted team that is significantly below the standard of Malmo and I fully expect that to be evident today

Esbjerg have got off to a horrendous start to their league campaign this season, losing their first four games, however, they managed to grab a draw last time out and they will look to build on that.

Odense have not started off much better, they are unbeaten, but have won just the once in their first five games and that was their most recent game, prior to that they drew their opening four games.

Odense on paper clearly have the better form, however they do have a serious habit of drawing their games and while their opposition this evening is currently in terrible form, Odense are not necessarily best placed to take advantage of Esbjerg stuttering start.

The fact that Esbjerg finally stopped the run of poor results with a draw and are at home and that Odense have a 80% draw record this season makes this game a good match to back for a draw.

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I am going for a shock away win in this one.

Portland only beat Seattle last month 3-1 and while I admit that circumstances have changed since then, I do believe that Portland are still capable of beating Seattle and the odds are simply too attractive to pass up.

Portland to win

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This game has all the hallmarks of a draw.

DC United have drawn two of their last four home games, they are currently fairly strong at home and will not be easy to beat.

Red Bulls have drawn their last three away games and as those results have shown, New York are not easy to beat either.

All things considered I see this game ending all square and that is how I will play this game.

Take the draw.

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I fancy Viking to win this one, they are up against a team that is hardly formidable at home and the away record of Viking is encouraging.

I have also seen these two in action recently and Viking look the better organised side and I am confident that they will beat Tromso today.

Take Viking to win.

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Start are a woeful team and Sogndal are more than capable of claiming all three points.

Start may be at home, but that has made almost no difference this season and I will be surprised if the away side does not win this one.

Take Sogndal to win

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On paper AIK are the better side, but this season there has been little to separate these two, Orebro will not be pushovers on their home ground and this game looks to me like it will be a stalemate come 90 mins.

Take the draw.

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Two really poor teams and neither team fills me with much confidence, but that does not mean there is not an opportunity to be had in this match.

Gefle look a solid pick on the handicap, Falkenbergs are really not a good team and while Gefle are not much better they do not deserve to be underdogs in this one.

Put it this way, I am far more confident it will be either a draw or Gefle win than Falkenbergs winning and that is what I will be backing.

Gefle on handicap

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West Ham have not had the best of starts to the season, they lost to Chelsea and have struggled in the Europa League, but they are a very decent side and I am confident they will get the win on their first home game in the Premier League at their new stadium.

I accept Bournemouth are no walkovers, but I convinced that the Hammers will have too much for Eddie Howes men to handle.

Home win

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Big game this between two of Norway's better teams.

Rosenborg are obviously favourites to win this game, they are Norways best team, however they are vulnerable on occasions away from home and Brann are just the team to take advantage.

I am not saying that Rosenborg will lose, but I am saying that Brann are more than capable of stopping them winning and that is how I will be approaching this game.

Take the draw

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I am a little surprised about the price for Odd to win this one, Molde are not the team we thought they would be this season, they are definitely beatable and the bottom line is that Odd have been better than Molde this season.

Molde have home advantage but that has meant little this season and I am fairly confident that Odd can grab a win here today.

Take Odds to win

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Not much to separate these two, they are evenly matched and I do not feel that home advantage will be significant in this particular game.

The signs are this will be a draw and that is how I intend to bet on this game.

Take the draw

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North East derby for the fans to get excited over and I am of the opinion that it will be the home side fans that will be celebrating come 90 mins.

Derbies are always tricky affairs but for me, Sunderland are the better team, have a good new strong manager and have already shown me this season that they will not be easy to beat.

Sunderland to win

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Real Salt Lake v FC Dallas

The draw looks the value pick for me in this one and I really do like my value picks.

Real Salt Lake have been a little hit and miss recently, but at home they are hard to beat, but they do like the draw, they have drawn five of their last seven home matches, quite a consistent record that.

Dallas like a stalemate as well, they have drawn two of their last four games in the MLS and last time on the road drew with Colorado Rapids, one of the better MLS teams.

All the evidence points to a draw in this one and that is my pick.

Take the draw.

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Colorado Rapids v Orlando City

I fully expect the Rapids to win this one and to win it convincingly.

Colorado for me are one of the best teams in MLS while Orlando are no better than average, I cannot make a case for an away win in this one, all the evidence points to a comfortable home win.

Colorado bounced back from a surprise stuffing at the hands of New York City while Orlando have won just once in their last eight MLS fixtures.

Whatever way I look at this game it is a convincing home win for me.

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Montreal Impact v Chicago Fire

Montreal are simply the better team, they have much better form and Chicago have been woeful this season.

The debate for me was not who would win, but how much Montreal would win by.

I am quite confident that they will win this one by a couple of goals, I just cannot see Chicago keeping them at bay for the entire 90 minutes.

The handicap has been set at one goal and for me that is too low.

Montreal to cover the spread.

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New England Rev. v Columbus Crew

Colombus Crew are terrible on the road and I see no reason to believe that today will see any other result than a New England win.

New England beat Colombus in July 3-1 and I would not be at all surprised to see another two goal margin win and to say I was surprised by the odds on a home win would be an understatement.

Home win all day long for me.

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New York City FC v LA Galaxy

A very interesting game this one that pits two of the top MLS sides against each other in a game that promises to be both exciting and entertaining.

I really fancy the home side to win this one, I know LA are in very good form at the moment, but so are New York, yes both sides have had the odd hiccup, but overall they are both formidable teams.

I feel that home advantage will be significant in this one, however, it is not just home advantage that has me plumping for City, I actually think they are the better side and they showed me against New York Red Bulls recently that when at home against top teams that they are motivated and determined and I cannot see LA managing to hold them for the entire 90 minutes.

New York win for me.

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Leicester City  v Arsenal

What sort of Leicester City will we have this season? Will it be the Leicester that was favourite to be relegated last season or the Leicester that won the title?

For me it is the Leicester City in between, I do not see them as title contenders and neither do I see them as relegation candidates and it is against the better teams this season that I see them struggling.

They deserved to lose to Hull City last weekend and as of yet, that game and the community shield, there is no evidence they are the team that was capable of beating the better teams this season.

Also, last season Arsenal were one of the few teams that beat Leicester City.

Arsenal did lose their opening game but they showed great character coming back from a 4-1 deficit against Liverpool and they will be the better for that defeat, to underestimate Arsenal is to take a huge risk, they are a top team and when they click they can beat anyone.

I see Arsenal winning this one, I honestly feel that the loss against Liverpool was a wake up call that they will react to and I also honestly believe that Leicester are not the team they were last season.

Arsenal to win.

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Swansea City  v Hull City

Hull City shocked the champions least week, however, anyone watching the game will know that it was not a fluke, they fully deserved the win.

Swansea beat promoted Burnley last week and will be looking to build on that perfect start to the season.

Both teams will be in high spirits, both won their opening game and both will be looking to maintain the momentum, for me that bares all the signs of a draw waiting to happen.

Take the draw.

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Watford  v Chelsea

Chelsea beat West Ham in their opening game 2-1, they should have won by more to be honest and they will be looking to cement that opening game win with another victory todday against Watford.

Watford had a very credible draw with Southampton and while they will be up against it today they are a threat, especially at home.

I expect both teams to score and the likelihood is that Chelsea will sneak a win, therefore overs looks the bet to be on.

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West Bromwich Albion  v Everton

Everton outplayed Tottenham last week in the first half, however they were dominated in the second half and were probably slightly lucky to come away with a draw.

West Brom opened up with an away win at Crystal Palace, however Palace are a weak team and it is no certainty that they will repeat that result against Everton.

That said, I have little faith in Everton overturning West Brom on their home ground.

Bottom line is I cannot pick any of these two to win, a draw looks the most likely outcome and that will be the pick for me today.

Take the draw.

On Saturday and Sunday there are hundreds of soccer game to choose from and the time taken to analyse, research and choose the best picks is lengthy, therefore the written previews are shorter than usual, however, be assured that every single pick is fully analysed and researched and published with total confidence.

Ostersunds FK v Djurgaarden

I am a little bit surprised by the odds on an Ostersunds win, but who am I to argue with the generosity of the sportsbooks.

Ostersunds have won five from nine home games this season, they have won three of their last five home games, losing just the once, they are basically a tough team to beat at home and they are in good recent form at home.

Djurgarden have lost their last seven games on the road in the league, that takes some doing, they really are chicken fodder when they travel.

So, we have a team with a solid home record, especially recently, against a team that cannot beg, steal or borrow an away win.

I have also seen both these sides play recently and the truth is that I would have taken Ostersunds to win even if they were away, they are simply the better organised team.

Home win all day long for me.

On Saturday and Sunday there are hundreds of soccer game to choose from and the time taken to analyse, research and choose the best picks is lengthy, therefore the written previews are shorter than usual, however, be assured that every single pick is fully analysed and researched and published with total confidence.

Bristol City v Newcastle United

After losing their first two championship games Newcastle finally got off the mark with a confidence boosting 4-1 home win over Reading, that will have done Rafa Benitez side the world of good.

In contrast Bristol City got off to a flyer with two wins before going down to Norwich 1-0 on Tuesday.

The bottom line is this, once Newcastle find their feet and form they will be one of the best teams in this division, I believe they have finally found their feet and a win today will be the start of them getting their form together.

City will be no walkovers, but if Newcastle play to their ability they should win this, even away from home.

I am going for Newcastle to confirm they are one of the favourites to be promoted and collect all three points today, I just feel they are the better team.

Take Newcastle to win.

On Saturday and Sunday there are hundreds of soccer game to choose from and the time taken to analyse, research and choose the best picks is lengthy, therefore the written previews are shorter than usual, however, be assured that every single pick is fully analysed and researched and published with total confidence.

Lillestroem v FK Haugesund

Lillestrom are on woeful form, they have won just once in their last ten games and there is no evidence that they will turn that form round today.

Haugesund have won their last two games on the bounce and are staring to put a mini streak together, they will want to come away from this game without a defeat at the very least.

Take Haugesund on the spreads.

On Saturday and Sunday there are hundreds of soccer game to choose from and the time taken to analyse, research and choose the best picks is lengthy, therefore the written previews are shorter than usual, however, be assured that every single pick is fully analysed and researched and published with total confidence.

Helsingborg v Kalmar

This game has all the hallmarks of a draw waiting to happen.

Both sides are poor, Helsingborg are in woeful form and Kalmar have hit a run of bad results as well.

Only three points separates these two and both have a relegation dog fight to look forward to.

Helsingborg have home advantage but that is negated by the fact that their form is poorer than Kalmar, though not by much.

Bottom line is that I cannot make a case for either team to claim all three points and the draw looks the value pick.

Take the draw.

This one is quite simple for me really, I expect Man Utd to win, however, I also expect Southampton to score, therefore it is overs for me.

United are clearly more organised under Mourinho, but they remain vulnerable in defence.

Southampton are a solid outfit and even though they are under new management and had a change in playing personnel I still expect them to be a hard team to beat, they are dangerous coming forward and can defend when up against good opposition.

This is only the second game of the Premier League season and there are still some issues to be ironed out for both sides, but United should win this one, but not keep a clean sheet.

Take overs.

West Ham are not the best travellers in Europe, last season they got dumped after losing their away game and this season they open up their Europa League campaign with a loss.

The Hammers also lost this week against Chelsea on the road, ok, it was Chelsea, however, the performance from West Ham was not exactly inspiring.

That said, they are playing inferior opposition in Astra, they really should win, but I simply cannot ignore the current form and their road form in Europe.

Additionally, the Romanians won their last game 3-1 at home and do come into this game with a semblance of confidence.

All things considered I am going for the home side to win or draw this one.

Having watched both these teams in the last round I am going for a home win in this one.

Maribor were lucky to beat Aberdeen and the Scottish side is very poor, whereas Qabala beat French outfit Lille, that alone tells you the difference.

Qabala are very string at home and I am of the opinion they are a better team than Maribor.

I actually expect the home side to win by a good couple of goals and it is unfortunate that there is not a higher handicap available at better odds.

Take the home win here

Tricky one this but I do expect the home team to come out on top.

Rosenborg got dumped out of the Champions League by APOEL, in all fairness the goals were all scored near the end of the game and at one point it did seem that Rosenborg would make it, additionally, they are doing very well domestically, however, I am of the opinion that the Austrians are the better side, especially with home advantage.

It is also not helpful that Wein have had a couple of poor games domestically, but I am confident they can bounce back today and claim the win.

Will be a good game but for me the home advantage and the fact that Austrian football is better than Norwegian football domestically will ensure a home win.

Chelsea v West Ham United

I would not be surprised to see this game end in a draw.

Chelsea have home advantage, however, that is negated by the fact that West Ham have already played a couple of competitive games in the Europa League.

Additionally, Chelsea have a new manager and there will be some transition to take place, whereas West Ham in comparison are more stable.

That said, you cannot ignore the fact that Chelsea have the better squad on paper, but that did not stop West Ham finishing higher than them last season.

First games of the season are not always played to form, some teams take time to get into their groove and it is the great unknown whether Chelsea or West Ham immediately find their groove in their very first game of the season.

It would be no real surprise to see Chelsea win outright, but then it would be no less a surprise to see them lose.

In better words, it is very difficult to judge how these two will perform tonight, again, first games of the season are notorious to predict.

Even so, I still believe that a draw has as good a chance of being the result on 90 minutes than any other result and the value is with the draw.

I will be backing the draw in this one.

Jonkopings Sodra v Ostersunds FK

Interesting match up between two teams that are very evenly matched.

Both these sides were promoted last season with just a point separating them and this season both sit mid table with just a single point separating them.

Their heads to heads results have generally been close affairs with single goal wins or draws, only once in the last few years has there been more than two goals when they have played each other.

Both come into this game following very convincing wins and both have confidence, in better words there is almost nothing to separate these two.

Jonkopings have a slight advantage because they are at home, but in all fairness that advantage is very slim.

I would have done this game under 2.5 goals if that option was available, but it is not, however, I am just as convinced that this game will be a draw, a low scoring draw and that is my pick.

Take the draw

Viking v Stabaek

I fancy Stabaek to spring a little surprise here and hold Viking to at least a draw.

Form counts and Stabaek are unbeaten in their last four games in the league while Viking have lost their two most recent games.

Now, Viking are probably the better team, but their form is not showing that and it is wrong just to back a team because of their perceived superiority when results show the opposite.

I am not saying that Stabaek will win, what I am saying is that I think there is more chance of a draw or Stabaek winning than I am in a Viking win and will be backing Stabaek on the handicap.

Stabaek +0.5

Viking v Stabaek

I fancy Stabaek to spring a little surprise here and hold Viking to at least a draw.

Form counts and Stabaek are unbeaten in their last four games in the league while Viking have lost their two most recent games.

Now, Viking are probably the better team, but their form is not showing that and it is wrong just to back a team because of their perceived superiority when results show the opposite.

I am not saying that Stabaek will win, what I am saying is that I think there is more chance of a draw or Stabaek winning than I am in a Viking win and will be backing Stabaek on the handicap.

Take a chance on the draw

Haugesund v Tromso

Tricky game this one, both sides have been doing well home and away respectively.

Tromso have been putting some decent away wins together recently while Haugesund have been doing what is required at home in the main and overall it is hard to separate them.

That said, I do see goals in this game and while I am struggling to find a winner I am very confident that we will see goals in this one.

I am not too happy with the odds but that reflects the likelihood of this game being over 2.5 goals and I agree with that sentiment.

Take over 2.5 goals

Stromsgodset v Start

Stromgodset have been given a huge start in this by the handicapper and I am not sure it is justified.

Start are woeful I admit but Stromgodset have been woeful recently and they are on a poor run of form as well, they may well win this, but to win by at least two goals I do find a bit of a stretch.

Start do lose by two goals or more on the odd occasion, but not every game and in their last six away games they have not once lost by two or more goals.

Stromgodset do well at home I admit, but they have not won in their last three league games and the chances are they will be happy with a win by a single goal and not risk going all out for a ton of goals.

All things considered I am taking Start +1.5

Arsenal v Liverpool

Difficult start for both sides, however, that does not mean that there is not a good pick to have in this game.

It is hard to pick an outright winner, either team can potentially win this one, both have injuries, both have new players to integrate and both are under pressure to get off to a quick start, the truth is that it is a bit of a lottery to pick an outright winner in this one.

That said, I do believe there will be goals in an open entertaining game and I will be backing overs in this one.

PSV v AZ

When analysing today's game this one stood out, the reason is that I feel that the handicap has been set too high for PSV to overcome.

PSV should win this one, they are at home and are one of Hollands best sides, however AZ are no walkovers and giving PSV a 1.5 start does seem a little big, basically means they have to win by two clear goals and while a win for PSV is expected I am not sure it will be by a huge margin.

Take AZ + 1.5

Aalesund v Molde

Molde finally won a game last week but I am not sure that means they have finally turned the corner on a bad run of results.

Molde are far better than their recent results have shown, but form is everything and until they put a few wins together, one cannot back them with any real confidence.

Aalesund are not in bad form, they have won their last two games and are showing signs of consistency, but they are not world beaters, but they are at home and they are on a mini run.

I am going for the home side to sneak a win, I am simply not convinced that Molde are back to their best while Aalesund recent run I find more convincing.

Aalesund to win 

Kalmar v Malmö FF

I fancy the draw in this one and that is the result I will be backing today.

Malmo are the better team, there is no denying that, but Kalmar have been very string at home recently, they are unbeaten in their last five home games and that includes a draw against AIK, one of Sweden's top teams.

Malmo have been impressive away from home I admit, they have won three of their last four road game, however, they do occasionally struggle on the road and against a team in form I am fairly sure they would be happy with a point from this game. Of course they will want the win and will go for it but come 90 minutes and the game is all square, they will be content with that.

All things considered I am going for a draw.

AFC Bournemouth v Manchester United

Tricky start for Man Utd, it would be wrong to assume that this is a given for United, it is not.

Bournemouth can cause United problems and time will tell how quickly Mourinho can get the best from his players.

It must be noted that this United side is still mainly the side that did poorly last season, yes there are some new signings but probably too early to see how much of a difference they will make.

Bournemouth showed they can be competitive last season and will make it very difficult for United today, they may not actually win, but I do feel they will score at least once in front of their home fans.

All things considered I am going for overs in this one, I can see Bournemouth scoring and a United win would be no real surprise, though a Bournemouth win would not surprise me either.

Man City v Sunderland

I fully expect Man City to get off to a very good start today against a very limited Sunderland side.

Both cubs have new managers but that is where any sense of similarity ends between these two sides.

David Moyes is probably a good appointment following Sam Allardyce taking over the management of England, but he has his work cut out against City today, he simply does not have a squad with the quality to compete with the top sides, they barely survived relegation last season and the chances are they will spend the season attempting to avoid relegation once again.

City are a squad full of immense talent and with Pep Guardiola now in charge they are the favourites to win the Premier League this season and they will be going full speed ahead today to get their campaign off to the best possible start.

The handicap has been set quite high, but I am very confident that City will overcome it, they are far superior to Sunderland in every area, there is not one position that Sunderland are as good as City and that will be exposed today I am certain.

Take City to win this one by at least a couple of goals.

Vålerenga v Brann

Very interesting game between resurgent Valerenga and high flying Brann.

I will be backing Valerenga to continue their fine recent form and to grab the win over third placed Brann today.

Valerenga had an awful start to the season, they could not buy a win, but they have finally turned their form around, they are on a four game unbeaten run, winning their last three games and they will feel confident that they can continue that run against Brann today.

Brann are also in great form, in fact, apart from league leaders Rosenborg they have the best recent form in the league, however, their away form is not as good as it appears.

In their last road game Brann beat Odd, however that was their first road win in their last six away games, a sequence that has seen them lose four times and draw once, in better words, they are nowhere near as formidable away from home than they are at home, in fact they are quite poor recently.

On paper Brann are favourites to win this one, but I am confident that Valerenga will spring a surprise and grab all three points, they are in good form and Brann are not that good away.

Everton v Tottenham

I will be backing Tottenham to grab the win away to Everton this afternoon.

Tottenham did brilliant last season, their season collapsed at the end but that does not negate the season they had, compare that to the season that Everton had and the difference is plain to see.

That said, it would be folly to take what happened last season as a definitive guide to what will happen this season, for starters Everton have a new manager and it is hard to believe that they will have as poor a season this as they did last season, but they are up against a very good side in Tottenham.

Tottenham have strengthened in the right areas, they have bought a solid midfielder in Victor Wanayama and a top striker in Vincent Janssen, both are expected to start today, whereas Everton have lost defender John Stones to Man City and have not brought in the same calibre of player as what Spurs have.

Tottenham showed in their pre-season friendlies that they are in good shape, their 6-1 demolition of Inter Milan proves that and while this will be a close game, they usualy are between these two, I do expect Tottenham to emerge the winners after 90 minutes, they simply have the better players and that is the difference.

Tottenham to win.

Bodø / Glimt v Lillestrøm

Two quite poor teams from Norway will meet today in a game that is basically a relegation battle and it is the home side that I see coming out on top.

Bodo/Glimt are in better form than Lillestrom at the moment and that is critical in these sort of games as momentum and confidence play a large part with teams in a relegation dog fight.

Lillestrom have lost seven of their last nine games and five of their last six away games, drawing the other, what ever way you dress it up, that is rank poor form.

Bodo/Glimt are not much better I admit, but they are at home and have done better over the last six games, amassing eight points compared to four points for Lillestrom.

Bottom line is that I simply cannot see Lillestrom winning this game and that Bodo/Glimt better recent form and home advantage will be enough to secure the win.

Hull City v Leicester City

It is very hard not to see anything but a Leicester City win at Hull today.

Leicester have the advantage of already having played a competitive fixture against Man Utd last week and that will do them the world of good today, even though they ended up losing to United.

Hull are in disarray, the club is up for sale, they have lost their manager and have not bought anyone of any real significance, they are still a championship league side basically.

Whatever way I look at this it is an away win for the Foxes who I fully expect to get their defence of the Premier League off to a winning side.

Brighton v Nottingham Forest

Games between these two tend to be tight affairs and I see that being no different this evening.

Brighton held Derby County to 0-0 last week and that is a credible result away from home, Forest got their season off to a flyer with a 4-3 win over Burton Albion and so both teams will enter this game full of confidence.

It is so important to get the season off to a positive start and that is exactly what both sides have done, however a loss for either side this evening in the UK would derail those positive starts and both teams will be looking not to lose this game.

Brighton are deserved favourites, they are at home and they were very unlucky not to be promoted last season and they will expect to take all three points today and I agree with that confidence.

Forest I am sure will put up a good show and I do expect a tight game, I was actually tempted to go for the under's on this one, but in the end I have come to the conclusion that the best pick is for a home win.

Take Brighton to win a tight game

All my Soccer picks are researched and analysed fully, each one carries my full confidence with a focus on picks that offer value for money.

Rosenborg are a funny side to gauge, they are clearly the best team in Norway, however, they can be complacent, they raced into a 4-0 lead last week against Lillestrom and ending up winning 4-3, that is typical of Rosenborg.

Prior to that win against Lillestrom, Rosenborg had drawn their three previous away games and while they are dominant at home they are susceptible to dropping points on the road.

Viking at home are inconsistent, they have won three, drawn two and lost three, however, they do raise their game against Rosenborg, they have won and drawn more often at home against Rosenborg than they have lost.

Viking are not a hopeless side, a win today would lift them to 5th and just four points behind second place, so they remain competitive in the league and did win way against Sogndal last week, a game I watched and I thought they were quite impressive in that win.

Rosenborg are the better team, but they are away and Viking are capable of either winning this or grabbing a draw and I will take the home side to cover the spread.

All my Soccer picks are researched and analysed fully, each one carries my full confidence with a focus on picks that offer value for money.

2nd v 5th in the Swedish Allsvenskan and I am going with the home side to collect all three points.

Both sides are in good form at the moment and for me the only real advantage is for Norrkoping because they are playing at home.

Though it must also be pointed out that Norrkoping have won seven from nine at home and drawn the other two, whereas Hacken have won just three times away from home all season.

I expect this to be a close game and for the home side to scrape the win.

All my Soccer picks are researched and analysed fully, each one carries my full confidence with a focus on picks that offer value for money.

On paper Goteborg should win this one and I am also convinced that they will emerge the victors after ninety minutes.

Djurgarden are not that formidable at home, they have lost their last two home fixtures and overall this season have lost four from seven home games.

Goteborg sit fourth in the standings, have lost just twice away from home and are on a seven match unbeaten run.

It is hard for me to see how Djurgarden can get anything from this game, they are not on form while Goteborg are and I do not see that changing today.

Goteborg to win