Chelsea vs Brighton and Hove Albion

Chelsea

Chelsea’s season has so far proven extremely unpredictable. With manager Frank Lampard choosing to rely on youth after the club were banned from signing new players for two transfer windows, and such an approach is showing its usual strengths and weaknesses. They are capable of putting in a brilliant game, but they have also been known to succumb to pressure.
They currently sit in a group of teams with eight points to their name, with two wins, two draws and two defeats. The defeats came away to Manchester United in the opening round and last week at home to Liverpool. Leicester City and Sheffield United both managed to sneak a point away from Stamford Bridge, while the two triumphs were achieved away to Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Team News

Lampard will be without the services of defender Antonio Rudiger, who is a long-term absentee, as well as Emerson, who was replaced early in the Liverpool game with a thigh injury. Andreas Christensen also had to leave the pitch in that game with a knee problem, but he is currently being assessed and may yet recover in time. Midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marco van Ginkel have also been absent for a long time now. Striker Olivier Giroud was ill last week and he still isn’t certain to appear.
Therefore, Kurt Zouma is likely to partner Fikayo Tomori at the back, while Tammy Abraham looks certain to lead the line upfront.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Brighton have successfully navigated through two Premier League seasons, this being their third consecutive campaign in the top flight. They can hardly hope to do anything more but stay up, and even that, as always, will likely be a struggle which won’t be settled before May.
At the moment, the Seagulls sit in 15th place on six points, though table rankings at this point mean very little; a win could, in theory, see them climb to the top half. This game will hardly carry any weight for manager Graham Potter and his players. Coming to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge isn’t the time to be hoping for points too much, but they should, perhaps, take heart from the feats of Sheffield United and Leicester City who took one apiece.

Team News

Forwards Leandro Trossard and Jose Izquierdo, and defenders Ezequiel Schelotto, Leon Balogun and Shane Duffy have all been ruled out with various injuries. Midlfielders Bernardo, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Solly March are being assessed ahead of the trip to London, while forward Neal Maupay should be ready to play having recovered from a knee injury.

Conclusion

Chelsea won’t be thinking about anything else but winning this game. They’re likely to attack for large portions of the game, and Abraham should at some point find the back of the net. The young striker perhaps wasn’t able to outwit the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip last week, but this time around his form and substantial talent should be on display. After all, he did score seven goals in six games so far.
Verdict: Tammy Abraham to score
Best odds: 5/6

Martin Odegaard

Martin Odegaard could return to Real Madrid at the end of the season, according to AS.
Real signed the midfielder from Norwegian side Stromsgodset in January 2015 for a reported fee of €3 million, but the youngster hasn’t yet been given a proper chance to impress at Los Blancos. Having played most of his games for their Castilla team, he joined SC Heerenven on loan in January 2017, and since then he also had temporary spells with Vitesse Arnhem. He returned to Madrid at the end of last season and left on temporary basis to play for Real Sociedad this term.
The agreement, which will see Sociedad pay his wages of €2 million for the season, is such that it could be extended for a further year, but Real Madrid have the option of recalling him in the summer of 2020 should they wish to. And given the struggles they’ve been going through when it comes to the middle of the pitch, it seems quite possible that the 20-year-old will be at the Santiago Bernabeu next season.

Tottenham vs Southampton

Tottenham

Starting with the hosts, after crashing out of the Carabao Cup away at League Two’s Colchester in midweek, the lowest-ranked side still in the tournament, fans around North London have every right to start panicking. Despite putting in a much-needed performance in their 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace a fortnight ago, Mauricio Pochettino has seen his side come crashing back down to earth. Once again throwing away two second-half strikes and watching Leicester clinch a 2-1 victory at the King Power last weekend, Spurs’ Argentinian boss has now seen his men win just one of their last seven matchups across all formats, a run that stems back to the opening weekend. Now in the midst of a growing battle to reclaim a top-four finish, fans around North London have seen their side also win just two of their last nine Premier League appearances. Showing some glaring issues both domestically and in Europe, Pochettino will be desperate for Harry Kane to once again step up on Saturday. Finding the net with a consolation strike at Leicester last time out, the 26-year-old has now scored in back-to-back outings.
Team News
Tottenham are still waiting for summer signings Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon to return to fitness. The Argentine is not expected to be back before November but the club are hopeful that Sessegnon is back earlier.

Southampton

As for the visitors, while Tottenham may have seen their Carabao Cup dreams come to an abrupt end on Tuesday, Southampton enjoyed a memorable night across the South Coast. Picking up a commanding 4-0 win away at bitter rivals Portsmouth and booking their spot in the fourth round, Head Coach Ralph Hasenhüttl saw his side bounce back from their defeat against Bournemouth last week. With their sights firmly set on making a charge for the top half of the table come May, fans around St. Mary’s have seen their side lose just one of their last six matches across all competitions, a run that also saw them snatch a point off of Manchester United last month. Showing some real improvements under the former RB Leipzig boss, Southampton should also be boosted by their most recent meeting against Saturday’s hosts. When the two sides met back in March, the Saints picked up a very impressive 2-1 win on the South Coast.
Team News
Alex McCarthy will undergo a late fitness test before his place in the Southampton squad is confirmed. Summer signing Moussa Djenepo remains sidelined with a thigh injury.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides met back in March Southampton came away with a 2-1 win.
• Tottenham striker Harry Kane has seven goals in his last six matches for club and country.
• Spurs have won just one of their last seven matches across all competitions.
• The Lilywhites have also won just two of their last nine Premier League matches.
• Southampton have scored in each of their previous seven meetings against Spurs.

Conclusion

While Southampton might travel to North London as the underdog, the Saints will see this weekend as an opportunity to capitalize on a fragile Spurs. Two sides who have seen plenty of action at both ends of the pitch since opening the new campaign, Saturday could prove to be yet another lively encounter in the capital. With six of the last seven meetings between the two sides seeing both teams find the net and over 2.5 goals at full-time, we’re backing a similar outcome this weekend.
Verdict: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals 
Best Odds: 11/10

Inter Milan vs Lazio

Inter Milan

Starting with the hosts, coming off the back of yet another very eye-catching display and picking up Milan bragging rights with a 2-0 win over bitter rivals AC, the mood around the San Siro continues to soar. Really starting to shine since appointing former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte over the summer, I Nerazzurri are the only side to boast a 100% start to the new Serie A campaign and now hold a two-point buffer at the top of the table. Looking to land their first Italian crown for the first time since 2010, there is no doubt that Wednesday’s hosts will be most impressed by their newfound defensive resolve. Aside from only managing to bag a point against Slavia Praha in their Champions League opener last week, Inter have conceded just a single goal in their opening four Serie A appearances. Along with shinning at the back, Conte does have one leading man who is enjoying a stellar start to life in Italy. Former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has three goals in his opening four Serie A matches since making the move from Old Trafford over the summer.
Team News
Antonio Conte will be glad to know that he has no new injury or suspension to worry about before Lazio’s trip to the San Siro on Wednesday.

Lazio

As for the visitors, while Lazio may have picked up a much-needed 2-0 win over Parma over the weekend, the Blues have continued to show some worrying inconsistencies. Opening their Europa League campaign with a shock 2-1 defeat away at Romanian outfit CFR Cluj, Head Coach Simone Inzaghi has seen his men win just one of their last four contests across all formats. While Lazio will know that a surprise victory in midweek could see them leapfrog Juventus, Roma, and Napoli, they have shown some issues outside of Formello. Lazio have lost back-to-back matches on the road for the first time since the start of April. If Lazio are to pick up back-to-back victories over Inter Milan at the San Siro, then Wednesday’s traveling support will be looking for attacking talisman Ciro Immobile to extend on his impressive start. Finding the net against Parma on Sunday, the 29-year-old now has three goals in his last three appearances and is averaging a strike every 84 minutes.
Team News
Lazio will still be unable to call upon forward Ricardo Kishna.

Key Factors to Consider

• Inter Milan are the only side to hold a 100% start to the season.
• Romelu Lukaku has bagged three goals in his opening four Serie A matches.
• Ciro Immobile is averaging a goal every 83 minutes.
• Lazio have lost back-to-back matches on the road for the first time since the start of April.
• The last two matches between the two sides at the San Siro have produced just a single goal.

Conclusion

Continuing to enjoy quite the resurge since Antonio Conte returned to Italy over the summer, Inter Milan should see Wednesday as another chance to extend their 100% start and lay down another marker. With Lazio showing some issues on their travels, including a shock 2-1 defeat away at Romanian outfit CFR Cluj last week, we’re backing the hosts to come away with the three points in midweek.
Verdict: Inter Milan win 
Best Odds: 1/1

Barcelona vs Villarreal

Barcelona

Starting with the hosts, coming off the back of yet another damning display in their 2-0 defeat away at Granada over the weekend, Barcelona have continued to show some glaring inconsistencies since opening the new La Liga campaign. Along with managing to just scrape a point off of Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener last week, the Spanish giants have won just two of their opening five domestic appearances and the pressure is really starting to mount on Head Coach Ernesto Valverde. With Lionel Messi yet to start for the defending champions after picking up an injury back in July while away with Argentina, Barcelona have already dropped points against Granada, Atletico Bilbao, and Osasuna. Despite their sluggish start, fans around the Nou Camp will take some solace from their continued success on home soil. Tuesday’s hosts have won each of their last nine La Liga matches in Catalonia and have not tasted top-flight defeat at the Nou Camp since the start of November.
Team News
Lionel Messi is almost certain to start after Barca’s poor start, and will join Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez in attack. Jordi Alba remains out of action with a hamstring problem, meaning Nelson Semedo will continue at left-back.

Villarreal

As for the visitors, while Villarreal may have spent the majority of last season in a battle to secure their La Liga status, the Yellows have really started to shine under new boss Javier Calleja. Coming off the back of another dominant display in their 2-0 win over Real Valladolid last weekend, they have secured back-to-back victories for the first time since the start of April and have lost just one of their opening five contests. Looking to pull off a remarkable turnaround and secure a European return for the Estadio de la Cerámica, it will be their newfound defensive resolve most impressing their new boss. Calleja’s men have recorded back-to-back clean sheets for just the second time in 2019. If Villarreal are to pick up their first victory over the defending champions since 2008, the Yellow Submarine will be looking for the red-hot Gerard Moreno to extend on his eye-catching start. Spearheading Villarreal’s recent revival, the 27-year-old already has five goals in his opening five appearances and has found the net in all bar one of his La Liga outings.
Team News
Midfielder Bruno Soriano and defender Alberto Moreno remain on the sidelines through injury, but Calleja otherwise has a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Key Factors to Consider

• The last time the two sides met they played out a 4-4 draw.
• Barcelona have won just two of their opening five La Liga matches.
• Villarreal have won back-to-back matches for the first time since April.
• Gerard Moreno has five goals in his opening five matches.
• Barcelona have not lost a match against Villarreal since March 2008.

Conclusion

While Barcelona might enter Tuesday’s contest as a huge favorite, they appear someway off the side that marched towards the La Liga title last season. Winning just two of their opening six matches across all formats and showing some glaring defensive issues, the defending champions could be in for a long night in midweek. With the two sides playing out a stunning 4-4 draw when they met back in April, we’re backing a resurgent Yellow Submarine to leave Catalonia with a point intact on Tuesday night.
Verdict: Draw
Best Odds: 19/4