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Spurs set for first Euro win

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Spurs remain unbeaten in the Europa League group stages, having drawn both their games to date, but expect Andre Villas-Boas’ side to pick up their first win at NK Maribor on Thursday.

Villas-Boas has made no secret of his desire to go all the way in the competition and has named strong sides for both games so far.

Spurs have also improved as the season has progressed, despite the loss against Chelsea on Saturday, and should be too strong for the Slovenian outfit on Thursday night.

The north Londoners are priced at 4/6 to get the win, the hosts are 4/1 to pick up maximum points and the draw is 11/4.

Unlike his Spurs counterpart, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has fielded weakened sides in the Europa League so far and the Reds face a big test on Thursday as they host big-spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

Anzhi have some world class players, including Samuel Eto’o and Lassana Diarra, as well as an experienced manager in the shape of Guus Hiddink and are more than capable of causing Liverpool problems.

If Rodgers does indeed leave the likes of Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Daniel Agger and Pepe Reina out of the starting line-up, as expected, Anzhi could cause an upset and seal an historic win at Anfield.  This is a bet that should certainly be considered an outsider, but the 11/5 on offer for an away win could well be a risk worth taking.

Liverpool are 6/5 to secure the victory, and the draw can be backed at 12/5.

Udinese, who are in Group A with Liverpool, travel to Swiss side Young Boys on Thursday and the Italian side should be strong enough so come away with maximum points.

Young Boys have lost both of their Europa League games to date, while Udinese drew with Anzhi before grabbing a win at Anfield in their last fixture.

The Serie A outfit are an experienced side in the Europa League and will be keen to beat Young Boys and edge closer to the knock-out stages. A win for Udinese is priced at a very attractive 13/8, the draw is 11/5 and the hosts are 8/5 to pick up their first win of the competition.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has fielded his fringe players in Europe this season but his youngsters have impressed and secured a 3-0 win over Bordeaux in their last European fixture.  The north East side host Belgian outfit Club Brugge on Thursday and should be able to get the win and maintain their unbeaten record in the Europa League.

The Belgian side have a reasonable record on the road domestically but slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Bordeaux in Europe.  Newcastle look good value at 4/6 to take all three points, the draw is 11/4 and the visitors are 4/1 to grab a shock victory.

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City ready to kick on

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Wednesday’s action in the Champions League will complete the halfway-stage of the group stages with England’s remaining contingent so far enduring contrasting fortunes in Europe’s elite competition.

Arsenal were handed what looked one of the easier draws in the groups this year and so far the Gunners have followed the script with two wins out of two to sit pretty at the top of Group A.

Arsene Wenger’s men can take a massive step towards the knockout stages with victory on Wednesday and they are priced at Even money to collect the three points, while Schalke are on offer at 14/5 with the draw at 5/2.

It is difficult to argue with the fact that the Gunners are favourites, given their rich history in the competition as well as the fact that they have put together a 16-match unbeaten streak at home in the Champions League since a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United in the semi-finals in 2009.

However, all is perhaps not so rosy in the Gunners camp with an injury list robbing them of a number of key players while they go into the game on the back of a surprise 1-0 reverse at Norwich. Admittedly that result was away but it is now left them 10 points behind Chelsea in the Premier League and the priority could be the domestic clash with QPR at the weekend.

Schalke have made an encouraging start to the season, lying third in the Bundesliga and, along with leaders Bayern Munich, have yet to be beaten on the road this season, which includes a win at champions Borussia Dortmund last Saturday.

The Royal Blues have made a good start to Group A as well, unbeaten after two games, and continue that run with a share of the spoils on Wednesday.

Manchester City were done no favours by the draw last term in their first season in Europe’s elite competition but have arguably faired worse in their second. The English champions have been drawn against their Spanish, German and Dutch counterparts and have picked up just one point from their opening two games.

Roberto Mancini’s men surrendered two late goals at the Bernabeu to ultimately slip to defeat but got one of their own against Dortmund to at least get up and running. That draw at the Etihad could be seen as a disappointing result but they now have the chance to their campaign up and running with back to back games against the weakest team in the group.

City have been installed as the 8/11 favourites in the match betting to pick up their first win in the competition in Amsterdam, with Ajax priced up at 4/1 and the draw at 11/4 – and it is not hard to see why.

City have won their last two away games with the latest coming despite the fact that they had been reduced to 10 men in the first half, while they also kept their first clean sheet of the season two weeks ago against Sunderland.

Ajax have been held on their last two occasions in the Eredivisie while they got thrashed 4-1 by Real Madrid at the Amsterdam Arena in matchday two. David Silva might be a notable absentee for the Citizens but they have far too much ammunition to earn a valuable three points.

Elsewhere and Porto can tighten their grip on Group A with victory over Dynamo Kiev, while big-spending Paris Saint Germain look good to return to winning way at Dinamo Zagreb.

Zenit St Petersburg have failed to deliver in the tournament so far and are perhaps too short to beat fellow Group C strugglers Anderlecht, although Malaga can put one foot in the knockout stages with victory over an out-of-sorts AC Milan side at 11/10, and Real Madrid have all the necessary tools to take care of business in Germany and beat Borussia Dortmund at 11/10.

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Rovers to worsen Owls woes

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After all the action on Tuesday there is just one game in the Championship on Wednesday night and it will see Sheffield Wednesday make the trip to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers (Blackburn 10/11, draw 5/2, Sheff Wed 3/1 Match Betting).

The Owls might well need the extra day to recoup after the well-documented events of their last outing against Leeds United last Friday night at Hillsborough. But, putting aside the crowd trouble between the two sets of fans, from a footballing point of view Wednesday will be able to take plenty of positives from the Yorkshire derby, which they really should have claimed three points from.

The Owls dominated much of the first half and were able to keep hold of the ball much better than their previous games, which saw them record one draw and six defeats before the arrival of Leeds.

On-loan striker Jay Bothroyd had arguably his best game for Wednesday since joining the club after a disappointing spell at Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League. The 30-year-old former Cardiff City (4/1 Championship outright) man held the ball up well and was a threat throughout the evening and he will need to produce a similar performance on Wednesday night, if manager Dave Jones and his men are to get anything out of their trip across the Pennines.

As for Blackburn they are still in the hunt for a replacement manager following the departure of Steve Kean. Many names have been linked with the role at Ewood Park, with the likes of Ian Holloway at Blackpool and Fulham coach Billy McKinley having their names bounded about in the media. For the moment Eric Black is the caretaker boss and he will have been disappointed his side were not able to finish off Derby County on the weekend, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Pride Park.

Having taken the lead through Jordan Rhodes, it was two minutes before time that the Rams were able to get an equaliser, which left Blackburn (8/1 Championship outright) no time to respond.  With four goals to his name this season for Blackburn, Rhodes has shown that he will certainly cope at this level, having made his name in League One with Huddersfield Town.

Wednesday, who have shipped in 22 goals in 11 games this season, will have to be on their guard if they are to keep the Scotland international quiet but it’s likely 22-year-old will get his name on the scoresheet against the Owls.

It’s crucial Blackburn bring in a new manager before they drop anymore important points but even with a caretaker in charge they should have enough to see of Wednesday.

Yes the Owls showed massive signs of improvement against Leeds but they were still unable to keep that all-important clean-sheet and against a Rovers side will plenty of attacking prowess, it’s hard to see Jones’ men coming away from Ewood Park with anything to show for their efforts (Rovers 2-0 correct score).

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Wolves waiting to wound Whites

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Tuesday night will see two of last year’s Premier League teams, Wolves and Bolton, go head-to-head in the Championship at Molineux (Wolves 6/5 draw 12/5 Bolton 12/5 – Match Betting).

Bolton, who are still looking for a new manager since the sacking of Owen Coyle, look like they are close to bringing in top target, Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman, after the Eagles finally accepted an official approach from the Lancashire outfit.

The Trotters were fortunate to pick up all three points over the weekend against Bristol City, winning 3-2 at the Reebok Stadium having gone two goals behind early on.

Caretaker boss Jimmy Phillips has no new injury concerns for the trip to Molineux, as the Whites go in search of only their second away win of the season.

As for Wolves (10/1 Championship outright) they will have a big boost with the return of skipper Karl Henry from suspension, as he missed the club’s 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town over the weekend.

Manager Stale Solbakken is still struggling with a host of injuries, as the likes of Stephen Hunt, Jamie O’Hara and George Elokobi are still sidelined.

However, Wolves, who have only lost one game in their five outings on home soil this term, look like they will just be able to edge out the managerless Whites at Molineux.

Tuesday will also see Championship leaders Leicester City take on Brighton at the King Power Stadium, in a clash between two attacking sides (Leicester 5/6, draw 5/2, Brighton 10/3 – Match Betting).

Foxes boss Nigel Pearson was under pressure for his job only a few weeks ago but now the manager sees his side sitting pretty at the top of the table.

Striker Jamie Vardy must undergo a late fitness test and he will be a real threat for the Seagulls if he can shake of illness to play.

Brighton have fitness issues of their own with Andrea Orlandi out with a calf problem and forward Will Hoskins still not ready for action following his broken foot.

Manager Gus Poyet will have been disappointed with his side’s 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough on the weekend and the Uruguayan might well be on the losing side against a Leicester (7/2 Championship outright) outfit who have won every game at home in the Championship this term.

Promotion-chasers Blackpool are also in action on Tuesday night as they prepare to host Nottingham Forest at Bloomfield Road (Blackpool 11/10 draw 12/5 Forest 12/5 – Match Betting).

Having made a storming start to the Championship season the Seasiders have been tumbling down the table with four defeats in their last five games.

To make matters worse manager Ian Holloway has been linked with the vacant job at Blackburn Rovers, which can only unsettle everyone concerned with the Tangerines.

As Blackpool have been struggling, Forest have seen a change in their fortunes and wins over Peterborough and Cardiff in their last two outings will have pleased manager Sean O’Driscoll.

This looks set to be another close contest but on their current form it wouldn’t be surprising to see Forest pull off another victory as they continue their push for a return to the English top flight.

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Brit trio out for matchday 3 glory

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It’s Champions League matchday three this week and teams know they can go a long way to securing their passage into the last 16 with a vital win. On Tuesday, Chelsea and Manchester United are the Premier League representatives hoping to maintain their recent good form while there’s a mouth-watering clash for Celtic when they go to Barcelona.

Barcelona v Celtic

Probably the biggest game of the evening sees Neil Lennon’s side travel to take on the might of the Catalan giants and aristocrats of Europe.

Barcelona are, as ever, huge favourites (1/12 – match odds) to come out on top but this is unlikely to be as easy an evening as the market is suggesting for Tito Vilanova’s men, with Celtic’s 25/1 odds of winning looking just a bit too large.

Celtic, unlike in recent campaigns, have given themselves a chance of qualification with a draw at home to Benfica and a fine win at Spartak Moscow so far, but still they face a huge ask to make it into the top two in such a tough group.

However, Tuesday is one of the Bhoys’ biggest European nights for many a year – considering the way the group is finely poised after two games – and they know getting anything from the game, however hard that is, will give them a great chance of progressing and also go down as one of their best-ever results.

But this is Barca at the Nou Camp we are talking about and even the most die-hard Celtic fan will struggle to predict anything other than a home win.

Celtic would love a repeat of their 1-1 draw from 2008 when they famously earned a point in Barcelona and, again at long odds of 11/1, the draw is tempting to back on Tuesday.

Don’t be fooled though, Barca have much more quality than the SPL champions – even if boss Vilanova opts to rest a few regulars – and a fairly comfortable 2-0 home win is our prediction.

Prediction: Barcelona 2 Celtic 0 at 6/1.

Manchester United v Braga

United’s home game with Portuguese side Braga should be a straightforward evening for the Premier League giants at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have won their first two games in the Champions League so far and should have too much for Braga as they look to make it three wins out of three (1/3 in the match betting) and take a big step towards a last-16 place.

United have not yet been at their best this season and have looked rusty, inconsistent and less than watertight at the back in certain games to offer Braga hope of a shock victory (9/1) or draw (4/1).

But they were surprisingly beaten 2-0 at home by relative minnows CFR Cluj on matchday one before restoring pride with an impressive 2-0 win over Galatasaray in Turkey last time out. That suggests they are a side difficult to predict and on their day a match for most but, on this occasion, a defeat looks very likely.

Prediction: United 3 Braga 0 at 8/1.

Shakhtar Donetsk v Chelsea

The final game involving a British side sees in-form Chelsea make the tricky journey to Ukraine to tackle a Shakhtar side (6/4 in the match betting) who are fast emerging as a side to fear in Europe.

Mircea Lucescu’s men are, like the Blues, sitting pretty at the top of their domestic league but boast a perfect P12 W12 record so far, while they are also in with a chance of progressing out of the Group after seeing off newcomers Nordsjaelland 2-0 before claiming a very creditable 1-1 draw against Juventus in Turin on matchday two (Draw v Chelsea – 12/5).

Both sides know, with Juve lurking and likely to claim one of the top two places and qualification, that this is a big night. A potentially-pivotal win for Roberto Di Matteo’s men then, on offer at 15/8, is worth backing but don’t expect it to be easy for the reigning European champions.

Shakhtar are very dangerous and goals look likely but we fancy the Londoners to turn in another efficient and stylish display and run out narrow victors.

Prediction: Shakhtar 1 Chelsea 2 at 10/1.

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Navas to inspire Sevilla win

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Bet on La LigaAnother exciting weekend of La Liga action is rounded off on Monday with a mouthwatering clash between European hopefuls Sevilla and Real Mallorca (Sevilla 4/7, draw 3/1, Mallorca 9/2 – Match Betting).

Both teams have made solid starts to the campaign and will be desperate to claim what could be a crucial three points come the end of the season.

After a few years of turmoil both on and off the field, Sevilla had somewhat of a quiet summer this time around and it appears to have suited them following a number of strong results, most notably their 1-0 win over Real Madrid.

However, they’ve struggled in recent weeks and the international break may have come at just the right time for Michel’s men after their disappointing defeat to Celta Vigo earlier this month.

Los Rojiblancos have a number of talented players but winger Jesus Navas is undoubtedly their star man and his form often reflects his side’s fortunes.

After his brilliant display against Madrid, Navas has been quiet in recent weeks and will be desperate to produce a strong performance.

Furthermore, with him likely to come up against former Spain (5/1 2014 World Cup outright) defender Antonio Lopez, he will be even more inspired as he continues to try and show he is good enough to earn a permanent place in the national side.

Mallorca also come into the game on the back of two defeats and appear to have lost some of their momentum after a stunning start to the campaign.

Boss Joaquin Caparros has previously described his side as one of the top four in Spain and they certainly look capable of sneaking into the higher echelons this season.

This is a match they will be looking to win if they’re to achieve their target and with so much of their game plan based around a solid defence, pressure will once again be on Tomer Hemed to fire them to glory.

The Israeli (20/1 to win World Cup qualifying Group F) scored five goals in two matches while on international duty and has been flying so far this season, scoring five times in his seven league matches. He will fancy his chances of adding to his tally against the sometimes erratic Sevilla rearguard.

This one looks as if it could be a classic and the teams’ opposing styles will undoubtedly produce fireworks.

However, Sevilla are extremely strong at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and the extra quality within their squad may just see them sneak it, but it’ll certainly be tight (Sevilla 13/2 to win 2-1).

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Fletcher to be talk of the town

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This weekend, the Premier League serves up not one but two mouth-watering derbies, the second of which takes place on Wearside on Sunday as Sunderland host Newcastle. The Black Cats have a terrible record in north-east derbies but can they set that straight this time? Also in action are winless QPR, who play host to high-flying Everton.

Sunderland v Newcastle 1:30pm

If you are a Sunderland fan you must look ahead to these Tyne-Wear derbies with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. The Black Cats have won just one of the last 15 meetings between the two rivals and supporters will probably still be having nightmares about the 5-1 mauling they suffered at St James’ Park in 2010.

Both teams come into this game off the back of 3-0 pastings at the hands of clubs from Manchester. Neither side covered themselves in glory as they were beaten by Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, leaving both sets of players with a lot to think about during the international break.

The defeat at the Etihad Stadium was Sunderland’s first of the season and, despite only winning once, a solid backline and an in-form Steven Fletcher has stirred talk of a top-ten finish for the Wearsiders. Newcastle have also made a steady start as they look to build on last term’s fifth-place finish. However, Alan Pardew’s men aren’t earning the plaudits they did this time last year and are starting to look a bit like one-season wonders.

The Toon have been boosted by the news Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini and Tim Krul could all be fit to return having missed the last few weeks. Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba and Cheick Tiote have returned from the international break without any problems and as such Pardew could have his strongest XI available.

While Steven Taylor might not rate Sunderland’s team they look to have enough about them to stop the out-of-sync Magpies. The Black Cats are 8/5 to pick up three points at home, while Newcastle are 15/8, with the draw a tempting 23/10. Fletcher to score anytime is 11/8 and, given the form he has been in, it might be worth getting on the former Wolves hitman.

QPR v Everton 4pm

Each game seems to be a must-win one for QPR at the minute, with Mark Hughes edging closer to the exit door after an awful start to the season. The R’s are currently rock bottom having picked up just two points from their first seven matches, losing last time out to West Brom. Hughes needed to get a win under his belt as soon as possible but that might be a tall order against Everton.

The Toffees are currently fourth after an excellent start but will be without talisman Marouane Fellaini, while Darron Gibson is unlikely to play despite recently returning to training. Without the central midfield duo, Everton might lack a bit of bite in the middle of the park but should still have enough quality to trouble Rangers.

David Moyes’ men have played a more expansive brand of football this term but that has seen them keep just one clean sheet all season thus far. With that in mind over 2.5 goals at 5/6 could be a worthwhile bet, while a draw looks the most likely outcome given QPR could be boosted by the return of a few players from injury.

The draw is one offer at 12/5, with QPR the same price to pick up three points for the first time, while Everton are 6/5 favourites in the match betting.

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Atletico to push aside Sociedad

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Spanish football continues this Sunday with five games taking place in La Liga, in the pick of those second place Atletico Madrid (25/1 La Liga outright) travel to Real Sociedad.

The early kick off on Sunday sees Getafe take on Levante (Getafe 5/6, draw 12/5, Levante 16/5), two sides who currently sit in mid table and will be looking to take three points away from the fixture. The home team come into the game off back to back wins and will be looking to continue in that rich vein of form, although they are still missing top scorer Abdelaziz Barrada, who serves the final game in his suspension. They will have a tough test against Levante, who secured European football last season and took three points off Valencia before the international break.

Bottom of the table Espanyol will welcome Rayo Vallecano (Espanyol 10/11, Draw 5/2, Rayo 11/4) in a fixture that they need to take three points from. The team from Barcelona have started the season poorly and are yet to taste victory so far, so need a bit of luck to turn their fortunes around at this early stage.  They will feel they have a real opportunity to take something away from Rayo, who started this season with two wins but have since failed to pick up a win.

Real Zaragoza will travel to Granada (Granada 10/11, draw 12/5, Zaragoza 3/1), with both managers having to chose from depleted squads. Granada boss Juan Antonio Anquela will be without new signing Antonio Floro Flores, Fran Rico and Hassan Yebda, who are all missing through injury, as well as Yacine Brahimi and Dani Benitez who are both suspended. Likewise, Manolo Jiménez will have to adjust his starting 11 with Aranda, Adam Pinter and Ivan Obradovic all injured alongside Alvaro Gonzalez and Christian Romaric who both miss out through suspension. With both managers having to make a number of changes the quality of football may be affected (Correct score 0-0 15/2).

Struggling Osasuna will take on high flying Real Betis (Osasuna 21/20, Draw 12/5, Real Betis 5/2) at the Estadio El Sadar as they look to get their campaign going. Osasuna have only picked up one win and one draw so far and lie in a woeful 19th place, they will have to be on top of their game if they are to come away from this meeting with anything. Betis sit 4th in the table but after a good start they have tasted defeat twice recently and could be a target for an Osasuna side who will be looking to get among the goals.

The late kick off on Sunday sees Real Sociedad welcome Atletico Madrid (Sociedad 13/5, Draw 5/2, Atletico evens). Diego Simeone’s side are firm favourites for this one and no surprise as they are yet to be beaten this season, after drawing on the opening day they have gone from strength to strength winning every game with the aid of Radamel Falcao, who is the league’s joint top scorer on eight goals. Sociedad are unbeaten at the Estadio Municipal de Anoeta so far with three wins from three and this great home form has helped them to 13th in the table.

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Promotion hopefuls set to shine

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The Championship action continues on Saturday with a number of intriguing clashes including the derbies between Midlands pair Birmingham and Leicester (4/1 joint favourite – Championship outright) and Lancashire duo Burnley and Blackpool.

The game at St Andrew’s could be season-defining for both sides and defeat may even see either Lee Clark or Nigel Pearson lose their jobs (Match Betting – Birmingham 21/10, draw 12/5, Leicester 5/4).

After missing out in the play-offs last season, the Blues were widely expected to once again be challenging for promotion, but they have struggled so far this term, winning just three of their 10 matches.

This run has seen them drop to 21st in the table and despite only arriving in the summer there is already huge pressure on Clark to start delivering some results.

In contrast, the Foxes are flying, sitting second in the league, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation surrounding Nigel Pearson’s position, with Harry Redknapp being linked with the job as the club’s ambitious board look to bring a big name in to boost their profile.

Despite the internal struggles at the King Power Stadium, 49-year-old Pearson has done a stunning job at Leicester and has managed to get rid of the disruptive elements that harmed their form last season.

This has led to them playing some of the most exciting football in the Championship and although the game will be tight, they should extend their run on Saturday (Leicester 8/1 to win 2-1).

The other game that stands out is the clash between Lancashire rivals Burnley and Blackpool in the late game (Match Betting – Burnley 15/8, draw 12/5, Blackpool 11/8).

The Clarets are currently a side in crisis following boss Eddie Howe’s recent return to Bournemouth and haven’t won in their last four matches.

Whoever comes in at Turf Moor will certainly have their work cut out, as Howe appeared to be only half way through transforming them back into the promotion contenders after selling a lot of the club’s leftover stars from their time in the Premier League.

However, they still have plenty of talent within their side and with Charlie Austin (5/4 to score at anytime) in fine form, they’re always dangerous.

After a superb start to the season the Seasiders have also struggled in recent weeks, losing three out of their last four games, but are still well in the promotion hunt.

With a number of his players back after the international break, Ian Holloway will be looking for a response and his young side will be desperate to prove their worth after a difficult few weeks.

With so much talent on display, this game could produce fireworks but with all the confusion surrounding Burnley, Blackpool will expect to get back to winning ways (Blackpool 12/1 to win 2-0).

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AVB ready to get his own back

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The focus of attention now returns to Premier League duty following the international break with a hectic Saturday schedule to get stuck into, kicking off with a mouth-watering London derby.

Tottenham v Chelsea (12:45)
Two form sides go head-to-head at White Hart Lane with Spurs recovering from their opening-day setback to forge a nine-match unbeaten streak, winning their last four in the league, while Chelsea have started the season in fine fettle, winning their last five in all competitions to hold a four-point lead at the top of the table.

There is added spice to this fixture with Andre Villas-Boas taking on his former club and he is fancied to exact some ‘revenge’ with Spurs installed as the 8/5 favourites, with the Blues on offer at 9/5 and the draw at 12/5 in the match betting.

The Lilywhites have established White Hart Lane as something of a fortress of late, losing just two of their last 22 at home, and they also have a decent record against fierce rivals Chelsea there as well – unbeaten in their last six.

Gareth Bale (7/1 First/Last Goalscorer) and Jermain Defoe (5/1) have been in good form this season and Spurs can make home advantage count against a John Terry-less Chelsea, although it will not be one-sided.

Fernando Torres (11/8 Anytime Scorer) has hit the back of the net six times this season and is perhaps starting to show the form that persuaded Chelsea to fork out £50m for his services, while the additions of Eden Hazard (9/4) and Oscar (5/2)have provided new and exciting options.

However, in the middle of a derby, there remain questions whether they are up for a fight and Spurs at 8/5 at home look a good shout to continue their winning streak.

West Brom v Man City (3pm)
Champions City have not started this season as they did the last but they do still remain unbeaten in the league, lying in third place, four points behind the leaders.

Roberto Mancini’s men have seemingly struggled on the road, winning just once so far – at Fulham – while they have been held at Stoke and Liverpool, and they have managed just one clean sheet this term – at home against Sunderland.

The Italian tactician also has selection headaches with most of his squad spread across all parts of the globe over the international break, while there is a crucial Champions League next Wednesday at Ajax to worry about.

That certainly offers hope for the Baggies, who have begun the season impressively at the Hawthorns, winning four out of four to see them surprisingly placed in six in the table, just a point behind Saturday’s opponents.

Whether they have the tools to grab a coupon-busting win is open to question – they have not scored in their last four matches against City – but they look capable of holding the champions (WBA 4/1, Draw 11/4, City 8/11 Match Betting), having lost just one of their last six games against the Citizens at the Hawthorns.

Man United v Stoke City (3pm)
Manchester United are strong favourites at 2/7 to continue a good recent record of five wins from six games, with Stoke priced at 11/1 to record their first win against the Red Devils since 1993, and first at Old Trafford since 1976.

United lead the Premier League in terms of goals with 17 so far, while the Potters continue to struggle to find the back of the net with just six successes in the opening seven games.

However, Tony Pulis’s men are always hard to beat, having held Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool this season while they were only beaten by a late goal against Chelsea.

Forget the records, Everton and Spurs have already ended their hoodoo against United this season, and although they may not win, Stoke could land a price with a draw on Saturday at 9/2.

Elsewhere, it is difficult to see anything other than wins for Fulham, Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham, while Swansea against Wigan looking a real puzzler, given the inconsistencies and recent problems for both teams.

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