Inter Milan v Spurs: Anytime Goal Scorer Ivan Perisic – 7/2
Spurs come into this game after two poor results and performances took the shine off their Old Trafford onslaught.
As their stadium building stalled over the summer so did their squad renovations, and Daniel Levy is likely to face further criticism if the team faces as disrupted a future as their construction plans.
Inter, by contrast, have undergone a sizable turnover. Radja Nainggolan arrives from Roma, Stefan de Vrij from Lazio, and standout World Cup performer Sime Vrsaljko comes in on loan from Atletico Madrid, while several significant names departed.
Soccer Football – Serie A – SPAL vs AS Roma – Paolo Mazza, Ferrara, Italy – April 21, 2018 Roma’s Radja Nainggolan REUTERS/Alberto Lingria
That means Luciano Spalletti will need patience to get his new team ticking over, and the Nerazzurri’s opening weeks of the new season have seen their form fluctuate.
One constant, however, has been another Croat, Ivan Perisic, who has two goals in four Serie A games this season, and also netted his national team’s goal against Portugal in the international break.
The Mourinho target is Inter’s in-form attacker in a game likely to see goals. 7/2 is a cracking price.
Soccer Football – Ligue 1 – Paris St Germain vs AS Saint-Etienne – Parc des Princes, Paris, France – September 14, 2018 Paris St Germain’s Edinson Cavani reacts after scoring a goal that was disallowed REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Liverpool v PSG: Over 3.5 goals – 11/10
It may look like a big ask to get to 3.5 goals in the opening group game of the Champions League – the incentive to settle for a stalemate is always there – but it’s not Jurgen Klopp’s style to approach games that way, and his opposite number Thomas Tuchel generally encourages his sides to attack too.
While this season Liverpool have avoided ding-dong battles, with only their opening league victory over West Ham topping the 3.5 mark, they haven’t faced a test like this yet.
Soccer Football – Champions League – Paris St Germain Training – Ooredoo Training Centre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France – September 17, 2018 Paris St Germain coach Thomas Tuchel during training REUTERS/Charles Platiau
There’s the World Cup wonder kid Kylian Mbappe, the star who acts like a kid in Neymar, and the old pro who runs around like he’s still a kid, Edinson Cavani. That’s quite the forward line.
The Reds can skewer the best opponents with their own terrifying trident though, so shouldn’t be intimidated by the visitors, and are caapable of going blow-for-blow with the Parisians.
We expect a glut of goals at Anfield. 11/10 looks a reasonable swing in this one.
Soccer Football -DFB Cup – Schalke 04 vs Eintracht Frankfurt – Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany – April 18, 2018 Schalke 04 fans display a banner before the match REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler DFB RULES PROHIBIT USE IN MMS SERVICES VIA HANDHELD DEVICES UNTIL TWO HOURS AFTER A MATCH AND ANY USAGE ON INTERNET OR ONLINE MEDIA SIMULATING VIDEO FOOTAGE DURING THE MATCH.
Schalke v Porto: Porto Draw No Bet – Evens
The German side have started the new Bundesliga campaign in dreadful form, sitting 17th of 18 having lost all three of their opening games to Wolfsburg, Hertha and Gladbach.
Runners-up to Bayern last season, Domenico Tedesco’s young side saw Leon Goretzka leave for the bright lights of Munich and Max Meyer for the warm embrace of the Selhurst Park faithful.
Sebastian Rudy’s switch from the champions should do something to fill the gap left behind.
Whether his impact will be felt in their opening Champions League game is doubtful though – it certainly hasn’t in the league – and Porto, seasoned campaigners at this level, can exploit the weaknesses of a side struggling for confidence and playing in their first group stage since 2014.
Porto to win is 9/5, but we’d take the Draw No Bet insurance at evens.
*All odds Correct at time of posting