Martin's Picks (2 Live)
Martin's Past Picks
Aston Villa should be full of confidence after winning their last four games. The Villans made a slow start to the season, but things have finally clicked into place. They’re the underdogs for this game, but they’ve won their last two matches against Tottenham. That could give them a psychological advantage. Spurs look stronger under new manager Thomas Frank this season, but he has a dreadful record against Villa boss Unai Emery: zero wins, two draws, and three defeats. For those reasons, Villa could pull off an upset in this game.
Marseille will be surging with momentum after winning their last four games. Les Olympiens beat the mighty PSG, secured a 2-1 win against title contenders Strasbourg, thumped Ajax 4-0, and beat Metz 3-0 on the road. They’re the top-scoring team in Ligue 1 this season, with a +10 goal difference, and they should be too strong for Le Havre. Marseille have won their last nine games against Le Havre, and they should extend that impressive record on Saturday.
Italian champions Napoli are top of the Serie A table after winning five out of six games so far this season. New signings Rasmus Højlund and Kevin De Bruyne are in fine form, and the squad looks strong. However, they need to keep winning, as their rivals are breathing down their necks. They should be able to pick up an away victory this weekend. Torino are winless at home this season, and they’ve been leaking goals. Napoli won 1-0 at this stadium last season, and they should be able to repeat the feat.
This promises to be a tight game between two evenly matched teams. Under 2.5 goals has paid off in the last nine games between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, a run stretching back to 2019. They met twice last season, and both games resulted in 0-0 draws. Bournemouth have been scoring plenty of goals this season, but Crystal Palace are strong in defense. Palace’s games have averaged 2.00 goals, and their home matches have averaged just 1.67 goals, so under 2.5 goals looks appealing here.
Nottingham Forest are winless in seven games since appointing Ange Postecoglou as manager in September. He inherited a squad designed for counterattacking, and the players have struggled to adapt to his possession-based philosophy. The results have been disastrous: two draws and five defeats from seven matches. Postecoglou is now on the brink of being fired, and defeat to Chelsea could be the final nail in the coffin. Chelsea will be on a high after beating Liverpool last time out, and they should be able to exploit Forest’s defensive frailties.
Atlético Madrid will be surging with confidence after winning their last 3 games. Los Rojiblancos beat Rayo Vallecano 3-2, thumped Real Madrid 5-2, and then cruised to a 5-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday. They should extend their winning streak when they face Celta Vigo, who are still winless after 7 games this season. Celta lost 2-1 to Elche last weekend, and they will also be tired after facing PAOK on Thursday, so Atlético Madrid should capitalize.
This game offers Real Sociedad the perfect opportunity to drag themselves out of the relegation zone. They beat Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home last season, which should give them a psychological boost. Rayo have lost their last 3 away games, and they could also be tired from a midweek clash with Shkëndija. Real Sociedad will have all week to rest, so they'll be fresher, and they should edge this match.
Bayern Munich could run riot against Pafos when the teams clash in Cyprus this week. Pafos are making their Champions League debut this season, and they did well to draw 0-0 with Olympiacos in their opener. However, they face a far sterner challenge against Bayern, who are in sensational form right now. The Bavarians beat Chelsea 3-1 on Matchday 1 of the Champions League, and they've also won all five Bundesliga games so far this season. They thrashed Werder Bremen 4-0 at the weekend, and they've now scored 30 goals in just eight games in all competitions. Striker Harry Kane is on fire, which is ominous for Pafos.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Bodø/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate when the teams met in last season's Europa League semifinals. Spurs beat the Norwegian champions 2-0 on the road and 3-1 at home. That should give them a psychological advantage when they return to the Arctic Circle to face Bodø/Glimt again this week. They look stronger this season under new manager Thomas Frank, and they should have enough quality to win this game.
Inter Milan should be too strong for Slavia Prague when the teams clash at the San Siro on Tuesday. The Nerazzurri are unbeaten in their last 16 home games in the Champions League, which is a formidable record. They're coming off a 2-0 victory over Cagliari at the weekend, and they also picked up a 2-0 win against Ajax in their first Champions League game of the season. Captain Lautaro Martínez is back from injury, and he should fire his team to victory against the Czech champions.
Over 2.5 goals has paid off in three of Nottingham Forest's four games since they appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager. He is an attacking coach, and his team are normally involved in high-scoring games. That was clearly evident in Forest's 2-2 draw with Real Betis on Wednesday. The Forest defenders could be tired after flying back from Spain, and Sunderland's forwards are capable of capitalizing, so this should be a high-scoring clash.
Premier League champions Liverpool are top of the table after winning all five league matches so far this season. They also beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 in the Champions League, so they're on a six-game winning streak. The Reds have delivered some lackluster performances, but they always find a way to win. Palace are on a 17-game unbeaten run, but it could end against this talented Liverpool team.
Games between Brentford and Man Utd tend to be high-scoring affairs. A bet on over 2.5 goals would have paid off in six of their last eight games, including Brentford's thrilling 4-3 victory over Man Utd in May. Brentford have emerged as one of the Premier League's most entertaining teams this season, and 80% of their games have seen over 2.5 goals. Their games have averaged 3.2 goals, while Man Utd's games have seen an average of 2.8 goals, so a wager on over 2.5 goals in this match looks appealing.