Playoff hopefuls Granada have scored 1.79 goals per game at home this season, while they’ve scored at least twice in all of their home meetings with the bottom nine. Sixth-bottom Eibar have struggled on their travels, losing seven of nine visits to sides in the top half. Eibar have scored just 15 times in their 19 away trips, while they’ve lost to nil in seven of their nine away defeats this term.

Thursday’s first leg emphasised there is a gulf in class between these two teams and Sheffield United should once again have too much for Bristol City.

Atalanta are in strong form and well-placed to defeat Roma at home. With 20 wins this season and a solid recent run of results, including three wins and three clean sheets in their last four league games, they can capitalise on Roma’s inconsistency.

Fiorentina, sitting comfortably in eighth and 33 points above Venezia, should take all three points against a relegation-threatened side that has managed just four wins all season. With Venezia struggling in attack and defence, a Fiorentina win looks a solid bet.

Vejle have won the last two meetings between these sides and can make home advantage count here. Vejle have just one defeat in their last five at home, while Lyngby have just one win in seven overall. Vejle have conceded in seven straight home games, so back them to win and concede.

The Cavs topped the Eastern Conference, putting up impressive numbers against the NBA’s strongest sides. They finished the season with the league’s best offensive rating, while they boast contenders for Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. The Cavs have a talented roster, which looks more cohesive under Kenny Atkinson’s watch. They head into the playoffs having put together three win streaks of 12 games or more this term, making this a standout price.

Justin Thomas has struggled in his last two Masters starts – no surprise given the downturn in his form generally – but he ended 2024 by finishing second and third in his last two events. He’s well suited to Augusta, where his approach play and scrambling ability are huge assets.

Rory McIlroy’s first PGA Tour title came at the Charlotte venue in 2010 and he’s gone on to win the Wells Fargo Championship at the course on a further three occasions. He is comfortable at Quail Hollow and looks an obvious title threat if he can hold it together mentally.

A runner-up in 2022 and third in 2023, the exacting test which the US Open usually provides should prove to be ideal for such a marvellous ball-striker as Scottie Scheffler.

Tommy Fleetwood is one of the best exponents of links golf in the world, finishing in the top 12 in four of the last six Opens. Expect him to make another bold run at the Claret Jug come July.

Aryna Sabalenka dominated the hard courts on the WTA tour last year, winning 40 of her 49 matches on the surface, and she claimed both the Australian Open and US Open titles. She can be devastating in Melbourne, winning 27 of her last 28 matches at the Grand Slam in the last three seasons.

Iga Swiatek remains the undisputed queen of clay on the WTA tour. The Pole has won the title at Roland Garros three seasons running as well as in 2020 and she has lost just twice in 37 matches at the clay-court Grand Slam.

Last season’s ATP Tour was pretty much dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who each won two of the four Grand Slam titles, and between them it should be another stellar year. Alcaraz reigned supreme at Wimbledon, making it back-to-back titles at the All England Club, and Novak Djokovic’s obvious decline at 37 years of age makes the Spaniard a worthy favourite to rack up the hat-trick.

At the back end of a gruelling season, the US Open can sometimes throw up strange results and there are often surprises before the September silverware is eventually secured. It could, therefore, be worth going against the head of the market and hard-court specialist Daniil Medvedev ticks plenty of boxes at a nice price.

Vejle have conceded in seven straight home games, while Lyngby have just one clean sheet in their last six away games and have scored in five of those. Both defences look vulnerable so goals at both ends looks likely.

Goteborg have scored in five of their seven league games and both teams have scored in three of their last four. Djurgarden are back in action after their Conference League exit and they’ve scored in three of their last four across all comps, so both of these teams should be able to find a way through.

Vejle have won the last two meetings between these sides and can make home advantage count here. Vejle have just one defeat in their last five at home, while Lyngby have just one win in seven overall. Vejle have conceded in seven straight home games, so back them to win and concede.

Playoff hopefuls Granada have scored 1.79 goals per game at home this season, while they’ve scored at least twice in all of their home meetings with the bottom nine. Sixth-bottom Eibar have struggled on their travels, losing seven of nine visits to sides in the top half.

Thursday’s first leg emphasised there is a gulf in class between these two teams and Sheffield United should once again have too much for Bristol City.

Atalanta are in strong form and well-placed to defeat Roma at home. With 20 wins this season and a solid recent run of results, including three wins and three clean sheets in their last four league games, they can capitalise on Roma’s inconsistency.

Playoff hopefuls Granada have scored 1.79 goals per game at home this season, while they’ve scored at least twice in all of their home meetings with the bottom nine.

Thursday’s first leg emphasised there is a gulf in class between these two teams and Sheffield United should once again have too much for Bristol City. However, the Blades do not need to go for the jugular, so they could settle for a low-scoring success.

Playoff hopefuls Granada have scored 1.79 goals per game at home this season, while they’ve scored at least twice in all of their home meetings with the bottom nine. Sixth-bottom Eibar have struggled on their travels, losing seven of nine visits to sides in the top half. Eibar have scored just 15 times in their 19 away trips, while they’ve lost to nil in seven of their nine away defeats this term, so take a 2-0 home win has a chance.

Thursday’s first leg emphasised there is a gulf in class between these two teams and Sheffield United should once again have too much for Bristol City. However, the Blades do not need to go for the jugular, so they could settle for a low-scoring success. Sheffield United have a recent memory of beating Bristol City 2-0 at Bramall Lane, last achieving the feat in November 2021, and given their strong defensive record on home soil, coupled with the Robins poor away form, this play-off semi-final second leg could finish in the same fashion.

Sheffield United have shared the goals around this season and Gustavo Hamer has a decent haul of nine goals in 42 Championship games. Hamer has two goals in his last four appearances at Bramall Lane and looks a decent contender for an anytime effort against Bristol City.

Thursday’s first leg emphasised there is a gulf in class between these two teams and Sheffield United should once again have too much for Bristol City. The Blades can finish the job with a win in front of their own fans on Monday.