Category: Football

A top of the table clash in Monday Nights EFL game sees Leeds welcome Sunderland on Monday Night.

Leeds vs Sunderland predictions

Leeds were knocked off top spot in the Championship by Sheffield United on Saturday but Daniel Farke’s men can return to the summit with a potentially emphatic win over Sunderland at Elland Road on Monday.

Sheffield United made the most of playing a couple of days before Leeds with their 1-0 defeat of Luton on Saturday which put them top of the pile.

But Leeds should not be fazed by that result or the pressure that comes with it and it is easy to see why they are as short as 1-2 to beat the Black Cats.

Farke’s side put in a swashbuckling attacking performance to hammer Watford 4-0 at Vicarage Road last Tuesday, making it five wins in their last six Championship assignments.

And while they have been racking up the goals – their 7-0 slaughter of Cardiff was particularly eyecatching – they have also been watertight at the back.

Illan Meslier has been well protected by the centre-back partnership of Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon with Leeds reeling off six successive clean sheets in the second tier.

They have not conceded a Championship goal since their 3-3 draw with Hull at the start of January and only Burnley (nine) have conceded fewer league goals than Leeds’s 19.

But Leeds offer more attacking firepower than the Clarets and the fact their goal difference is at an eye-watering +47 – at least 17 better than any other side in the division – shows they deserve to be top of the tree.

With a visit to Sheffield United next Monday, Leeds have a great chance to open up some breathing space at the top this month and they can lay down a marker against Sunderland.

The Black Cats should comfortably make the Championship playoffs this season but their automatic promotion prospects are dwindling.

Sunderland have not lost a league game in 2025 but they have looked a touch too permeable at the back recently, shipping two goals against each of Plymouth, Middlesbrough and Watford in three of their last four matches.

They cannot afford to be so complacent against a Leeds side who do not take their foot off the pedal and if Sunderland go behind early, it could be one-way traffic at Elland Road.

Leeds vs Sunderland team news

Leeds
Max Wober remains sidelined along with Patrick Bamford, who is out with a hamstring injury.

Sunderland
Ajibola Alese and Niall Huggins will be missing from the Sunderland defence, while Jayden Danns is unavailable until March and both Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson are also injured.

Leeds United will have the opportunity to strengthen their hold on an automatic promotion spot when they host Sunderland at Elland Road on Monday. The home side currently sits second in the Championship with 69 points, aiming to extend their gap over the chasing pack, while Sunderland, in fourth place with 62 points, still harbours ambitions of breaking into the automatic promotion places.

Daniel Farke’s men have been in ruthless form, claiming a 4-0 victory over Watford last Tuesday. In that encounter, the Peacocks showcased their attacking dominance, creating four big chances and registering 16 attempts inside the penalty area, while allowing their opponents just two shots on target. Prior to that, Leeds had been held to a goalless draw against Millwall but still boasts an impressive tally of 66 goals in the Championship this season—at least 15 more than any other side in the division.

BET BUILDER FOR THE GAME :

Daniel James over 1.5 shots, Isidor over 0.5 shots , Aaronson over 1.5 shots , Leeds or draw @ 2.20

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Manchester United face Tottenham in a game that usually has plenty of goals, we’ve seen 10 goals in their two meetings this campaign.

Spurs have seen BTTS in 83% of their home games . Rodrigo Bentancur is also likely to commit at least 1 foul as he has done in his last 7 league games. I’m tipping Both Teams to Score and Bentancur to have 1+ foul at 1.83.

Goals Galore

Both Man United and Tottenham have been involved in high scoring encounters lately, and their upcoming match is set to be no different. Three of United’s last five games have seen BTTS, Tottenham have a similar record with four of their last five matches. They have also demonstrated attacking threat, averaging two goals per game. However, they’ve been just as prone to conceding, by letting in 1.54 goals per game on average.

Man United have also struggled defensively this season. In fact, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in 17 of their 24 matches. With both sides having a leaky defence, we should see goals.

Bentancur’s Foul Count

Bentancur will likely feature prominently in Tottenham’s midfield. The Uruguayan is known for his combative style of play, and he has committed at least one foul in every match since November. In total, Bentancur has 12 fouls across these six games, averaging two fouls per match. His tendency to be involved in physical encounters suggests he will likely commit 1+ foul.

Both Team’s Form

Manchester United’s recent form has been a mixed bag. They’ve secured two wins, suffered two losses, and drawn once in their last five outings. Currently sitting in 13th place, United needs to find consistency if they hope to improve under new manager Amorim. A defeat to Spurs would further hinder their chances of a top half finish.

Tottenham currently sit in 14th place, just two points behind United. A win on Sunday would see them leapfrog the Red Devils.

Spurs have had an injury struck season with 11 first-team players sidelined. Defender Radu Dragusin recently provided an update on his ACL surgery. The injuries have forced Spurs to rely on their youth players adding further pressure to their already thin squad.

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Tottenham welcome Man United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon, in a clash that almost guarentees goals and drama. Remarkably, both sides go into this game nowhere near where they should be in terms of the table. Tottenham are sat 15th in the league, with Man United sat one place above them in 14th. Two points seperate the two sides who are significantly underperforming this campaign.

It’s almost guarenteed that when Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side are involved, we see goals – especially in front of their home fans. This season Tottenham league games are averaging 3.54 goals per game, with this rising considerably to 4.17 goals per game at home. Tottenham have seen BTTS land in 10 consecutive home league games, finishing: 1-2, 1-2, 2-2, 3-6, 3-4, 1-1, 1-2, 4-1, 4-1 and 3-1. Ange Postecoglou has come under huge criticism this season failing to be flexible around his style of play, that has seen his side keep just 5 clean sheets in 24 games.

Today’s visitors are also having a massively underwhelming season, scoring goals has definitely been a concern for United this campaign. However, with Spurs’ style of play and evident defensive vulnerabilities, we are backing United to get on the scoresheet here – like all of Spurs’ last 10 visitors have. Having said this, United have actually scored in 8/9 games in all competitions and have won 6 of these.

These two sides met in the EFL Cup earlier on this season, which ended in an outstanding 4-3 win for Tottenham. The scoreline could be something similiar today. This is a fixture that has historically seen goals, with 2 or more goals in 12 consecutive meetings and BTTS landing in 9/12 of these.

We are pairing BTTS with Tottenham corners here. No side has recorded more corners in the Premier League than Tottenham – winning 180 corners in 24 games, averaging out at 7.50 per game. This averages out at 8.17 at home. Tottenham have won 5 or more corners in all 12 of their Premier League home games.

TIP: Both Teams to Score & Tottenham Over 4.5 Team Corners @ 2.00

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Man City host Newcastle in the premier league on Saturday afternoon.

Man City v Newcastle Preview

Man City’s Form        

For a side which has been so dominant for the best part of a decade but particularly since Guardioala’s appointment in 2016 by comparision this has been a difficult season for the club. City are 5th in the Premier League and on the verge of being knocked out of Europe following their midweek defeat 2-3 against Real Madrid. However, they spent big in January with over £180 million spent most of which were on first team signings Khusanov,  Reis, Marmoush, Bah and Nico.

City have continued to struggle in recent weeks, opening the month with a 5-1 defeat against Arsenal though the game was statistically far closer it was still a reflection of their poor form this season. They then struggled against Leyton Orient needing second half goals from new signing Khusanov and veteran City midfielder De Bruyne to save face. Midweek they took the lead against Real but the typical late late show from the Spanish side meant they fell to another defeat this time 2-3.

City are fifteeen points back of league leaders Liverpool with twelve games remaining and effectively may have to win each of those to stand a chance of a late title charge.

Newcastle’s Form     

Since the Saudi takeover, the rise in the club’s stature has been constant albeit slower than City’s previous rise (due to PSR Rules). Last season they were consistent across competitions being competitive in the Champions League “Group of Death” finishing 7th in the league and reaching the  Quarter-Finals in both the EFL and FA Cup.

This season was always going to be interesting to assess whether they would become a more considerable force domestically in the absence of European commitments. That’s duly transpired with their dispatching over Arsenal meaning they have an EFL Cup final to look forward to and their 41 point total currently sitting them level on points with Man City and well within a chance of claiming a European Place again.

Newcastle most recently had a 2-3 win over Birmingham and most importantly were able to rotate most of their starting side for the game.

Erling Haaland – Man City

The Norwegian freak of nature has recently agreed on a 9.5-year new deal with Man City, which would take his time at the club to June 2034 so it’s likely we will see him terrorise defences for Man City at the very least until his reported “high” release clause is activated in 2029.

Alexander Isak – Newcastle

The “New Zlatan” (25) is one of the most potent finishers in the Premier League and as his nickname suggests alsot has the skill and holding-the-ball-up ability of his legendary compatriot.

My main bet for the game is Newcastle to have over 9.5 shots & over 1.5 shots on target

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Brighton welcome Chelsea back to the Amex Stadium, after facing off in the FA Cup just 6 days ago. Chelsea will be looking for a more positive result after Brighton came back from 1-0 down to beat Maresca’s side 2-1. We have two sides going head to head here who have struggled defensively all season, with scoring goals of their own being much less of a concern. This sets this one up perfectly for goals at both ends.

Brighton have scored in 20/24 Premier League games this season, with two of the blanks coming consecutively going into this game. Their turnaround vs Chelsea at the weekend will certainly give the Seagulls confidence in avoiding a third straight game without a goal – Chelsea’s defensive vulnerabilities will give them opportunities tonight. Despite their ability to find the back of the net, Brighton have only kept 5 clean sheets in their 24 games. In fact, they’ve conceded in 15/16 previous Premier League games.

As for Chelsea, they have scored in 21/24 Premier League games this season. Cole Palmer continues to be the key in this Chelsea side, albeit Chelsea unlocking different avenues to scoring without Palmer this season, showing less of a reliance. Defensively, Chelsea have kept just 4 clean sheets in their 24 games, conceding in all of their previous 7.

It’s fair to say that Moises Caicedo will not be getting ‘welcomed’ back to the Amex tonight after his £100m move to Chelsea in 2023. Caicedo’s aggressive style of play always puts the Ecuadorian high in the foul and yellow card numbers. In fact, Caicedo has remarkably conceded 1+ foul in 23/24 league games this season and in 22 consecutive league games. He has seen 2+ fouls land in 17/24 games. In the reverse league game vs Brighton he recorded 4 fouls and got booked vs his old side last weekend.

TIP: Both Teams to Score & Caicedo 2+ Fouls @ 2.05

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Brighton face Chelsea once again just six days after the two sides met in the FA Cup. In that game, Brighton surprised the Blues by winning 2-1 to progress to the next round of the cup. This time, they meet in the Premier League and Chelsea will look for a similar result to the reverse fixture at the start of the season. Cole Palmer broke a Premier League record that day as the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League game as they won 4-2.

My tip for this game is backed with a lot of research as we have Both Teams to Score and a Caicedo Foul at 1.66.

Head to Heads

This is a fixture that recently has come up with thrilling games and it’s no surprise as both teams play attacking football which in turn leads to fouls which is great for our tip. Since Brighton were promoted to the Premier League in 2016/17, they started life in the top flight with a defensive mindset however as the years have gone by, the Seagulls have spread their wings and flourished. They have attacked teams confidently which paid dividends as they reached the Europa League knock-outs last season.

However, with attacking free flowing football can also lead to defensive frailties, as seen in Brighton and Chelsea’s respective 71% and 75% BTTS rates this season. The head to head record is even stronger as 12 of the last 14 meetings have seen both sides scoring so expect goals tonight. Brighton bounced back from a terrible 7-0 loss with their FA Cup win, however they will want to react strongly once again but this time in the league as they push from mid table to European places.

Caicedo Returns to the Amex

Former Brighton man, Caicedo has been one of Chelsea’s star players this season. He averages the most tackles in the Chelsea squad with three a game whilst unsurprisingly averages the most fouls in the squad at 2.1 a game. A crazy statistic is that the Ecuadorian has committed 1+ foul in his last 22 Premier League games, so we should expect the Chelsea midfielder to commit a foul against Brighton’s tricky attack. Rutter has been fouled at least once in his last 10 home games and Welbeck has been fouled at least once in his last eight home games.

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Brighton will welcome Chelsea to the Amex for Friday night football in a return of the premier league weekend.

Brighton & Hove Albion look to maintain their resurrection in form after their thrashing to Nottingham Forest when they welcome Chelsea for the second time in the last week. The Seagulls secured a 2-1 win in the FA Cup fourth round as they turned around a losing position within the opening five minutes to then thanks to goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma.

Brighton vs Chelsea Head-to-Head

• This will be the 26th meeting between the two sides. Chelsea lead 16-4 while five games were drawn.
• Brighton are the only Premier League side yet to score in the first 20 minutes of a home league game this term.
• Chelsea are winless in five away games across competitions since mid-December (three losses).
• Brighton’s 7-0 thrashing away to Nottingham was their heaviest league defeat since 1958.
• Chelsea’s last six games across competitions have produced three goals or more, with the last five witnessing goals at both ends.
• Chelsea have conceded nine goals in their last five games.

The two sides met last weekend in the FA Cup when goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma earned the home side a 2-1 win and a trip to Newcastle United in the fifth round. 

That victory was quite a turnaround for Fabian Hürzeler’s side who were beaten 7-0 by Nottingham Forest in their last league outing, a game to forget for everyone of a Brighton persuasion.

The Seagulls sit 10th in the league, nine points behind Friday’s opponents with just two wins from their last 12 matches.

Chelsea have won just two of their last eight league matches, to slip from three points behind the leaders Liverpool to 14 points off the pace in fourth place. 

A home defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day came as a shock to the side, who had won five of their previous six matches, and they followed it with a 2-0 home defeat at Ipswich who secured only their third league win of the season.

Chelsea completed the double last season when a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge was followed by a 2-1 victory at the Amex Stadium where Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku were on target before Reece James was sent off and Danny Welbeck pulled one back for the home side. 

The Blues have actually lost just one of their seven away games against Brighton, in the league, going down 4-1 in October 2022 and despite defeat less than a week ago, they will fancy their chances of making it a fourth league win in a row.

MAIN PICK for the GAME:

MITOMA to score anytime 13/8

BTTS 1/2

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Palmer to punish Brighton again

Cole Palmer scored all four goals in the 4-2 win earlier in the season and has 14 goals in 27 games so far. 

He also scored the opening goal the Amex last season and betting sides are offering 5/1 on him scoring first and last or 29/20 to score at any time. 

You can even get 45/1 on him scoring a hat-trick or 15/2 to score two or more. 

Since joining Chelsea in September 2023, Palmer has scored more than once on seven different occasions, and four twice, against the Seagulls and Everton in a 6-0 win last season.

Az will take on the Turkish champions on Thursday night in the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League.The Europa League playoffs are set to deliver an exciting clash as AZ Alkmaar host Galatasaray at the AFAS Stadion on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at 21:00. This encounter promises to be a closely contested affair, with both teams looking to advance in the competition. The Dutch side, currently sitting 19th in their domestic league, will face a stern test against the Turkish giants, who occupy the 14th spot in their respective league.

A place in the Europa League last 16 will be at stake when AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray face each other in a highly-anticipated two-legged tie. The Cheese Farmers are on a three-game winning run in all competitions, but they face a tough challenge against the star-studded Turkish side. Both Jayden Addai and Denso Kasius are major doubts after the duo limped off with injuries in a 2-0 win over Zwolle, while goalkeeper Sam Westerveld remains in the recovery room. 

Okan Buruk’s men, on the other hand, are on the right track to win the Turkish Super Lig trophy, but they have big ambitions for the Europa League knockout stages as well. Galatasaray look sharp up front and given AZ Alkmaar’s attacking potential at home, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Earlier in the process, the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at AFAS Stadion. January signing Alvaro Morata is widely expected to start, while all Yilmaz, Torreira, Muslera, and Bardakci are back from the domestic bans.

AZ Alkmaar – Home Form Under Pressure

AZ Alkmaar enter this crucial Europa League playoff match with a mixed bag of results in their domestic campaign. The Dutch side has accumulated 11 points from their 8 league matches, with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 3 defeats. Their goal difference stands at an even 13:13, indicating a team that can both score and concede with regularity.

What stands out for AZ is their impressive home record, boasting 3 wins and 1 draw without tasting defeat at the AFAS Stadion. This home advantage could prove crucial against a Galatasaray side that has struggled on the road. In their most recent outing, AZ secured a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory over PEC Zwolle, demonstrating their ability to keep a clean sheet while finding the back of the net.

Galatasaray – Turkish Giants Seeking an Away Win

Galatasaray come into this fixture with a slightly better league standing, having accumulated 13 points from their 8 matches. Their record of 3 wins, 4 draws, and just 1 defeat suggests a team that’s difficult to beat but sometimes struggles to turn draws into victories. The Istanbul-based club has been prolific in front of goal, netting 19 times, but their defense has also conceded 16, indicating potential vulnerabilities at the back.

The Turkish side’s away form has been a concern, with no wins, 3 draws, and 1 defeat on their travels. This statistic will be a focal point for coach Okan Buruk as he prepares his team for the trip to the Netherlands. However, Galatasaray will draw confidence from their recent 4-1 away victory against Boluspor, albeit in a different competition.

Last Direct Match Between the sides

The head-to-head record between these two sides is limited but intriguing. In their sole previous meeting, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, showcasing the evenly matched nature of these teams. This result adds weight to our prediction of another potential stalemate in the upcoming fixture.

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Tuesday night begins the knock-out phase of the new Champions League format. Clubs in the play-offs will need to win on aggregate after a home and an away fixture. In this article, we’ll be focusing on Sporting v Borussia Dortmund. Both teams have fantastic attacking options and this has been proven with the amount of goals scored by both sides. In what will be a tense knock-out and a card happy ref, I’m expecting at least a card for each team. I’m tipping Both Teams to Score and Both Teams to Receive 1+ Card each at 1.88.

Sporting’s Season So Far

Sporting have had a crazy season so far full of ups and downs. They started with Viktor Gyokores on fire, scoring goals aplenty including a hat-trick against Man City when they ran out 4-1 winners. Their success attracted Man Utd to scoop up their manager, Ruben Amorim, since then Sporting have not been able to maintain the same results which has put them 23rd in the Champions League table, just two positions from elimination.

Sporting have failed to win their last four UCL matches after winning three of their first four games in the competition which puts them in poor form going into a tricky game against Dortmund. Their shining light this season has been Gyokeres who will fancy himself to score against a side that hasn’t kept a clean sheet in their last 13 matches if he is deemed fit enough to make an appearance. The Swede was rested but came off the bench on the weekend as Sporting limit his minutes as they will want him to feature significantly tonight.

End to End Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund finished 10th place in the Champions League table just one point away from the automatic spots. They won five games and lost three in their European campaign however they certainly had some highlights. They beat Celtic 7-1 at home then in their next game lost 5-2 to Real Madrid after being two goals up at the Bernabeu. Currently, they are the competition’s second highest scorers and average 4.25 goals a game. Despite a tense match, we should see Dortmund score but they look likely to concede one or two as well. A crazy statistic reads the German side seeing BTTS in 12 of their last 13 in all competitions, signs point towards an entertaining game in Portugal.

The Ref

The referee in charge is Espen Eskas, who has been dishing out the cards in the Champions League games he has been in charge of. His card numbers per game are: 4,6,2,3,4. In a game of this magnitude, we should expect to see a card for each team. Our tip for this one is BTTS and Both Teams to Receive a Card.

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Man City welcome European giants Real Madrid to the Etihad on Tuesday night. This is probably the pick of the bunch of the next set of UCL games and it’s easy to see why. We have two brilliant attacking sides on display vs depleted defences – setting this one up perfectly for goals and action. Both sides had a disappointing league phase in the competition, with Man City just about securing a top 24 finish.

As many will remember these two sides met in the semi finals last season, which produced two end to end and action-packed games – ending 1-1 and 3-3. We should expect to see the same again with an open game that should produce a number of chances and goals. Both teams come into this game with injury concerns that could shape the dynamics of the match. Manchester City will miss several key players, including Rodri, Jeremy Doku, Nathan Ake, and Oscar Bobb. Additionally, goalkeeper Ederson’s availability is uncertain, which could impact the stability at the back. These absences in defense and midfield might create vulnerabilities, making it likely that both sides will see more space to exploit in attack.

Real Madrid is also struggling with a series of key defensive injuries. With Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, and Eder Militao all out, the Madrid backline will look significantly weaker. The loss of Lucas Vázquez, along with the forced adjustments in the defensive shape, could leave gaps for City’s forwards to exploit. Despite these issues, the attacking potential of the Spanish side, led by Mbappé and Júnior, ensures they’ll still be dangerous on the counter.

This fixture has historically seen a high number of goals with over 2 goals in 7/9 previous meetings. Manchester City have seen over 2 match goals in all their previous 9 matches in all competitions with Real Madrid seeing over 2 goals in 13/15 of their previous matches. Interestingly, this fixture has seen BTTS in 8/9 previous games.

Both sides are spearheaded with world class forwards. Both Erling Haaland for Man City and Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid will be confident in getting plenty of chances and shots. Both players are very shot heavy on the best of days and with the chances both teams should have here, expect Haaland & Mbappe to have 2 shots at a very minimum.

TIP: Over 2.5 Match Goals, Both Teams to Score & Haaland and Mbappe O1.5 Shots @ 2.30

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