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THE irrepressible Jack Wright (@JackWright_BSB ) is on-hand to preview Wednesday nights's MD1 matches from the Champions League action not involving English clubs.

Real Madrid vs Shakhtar Donetsk | Wednesday 21st October 2020, 17:55 | BT Sport

Real Madrid’s unbeaten start to the season was brought to a shuddering halt as newly promoted Cadiz pulled off a shock 1-0 victory in the Bernabeu – possibly even more remarkable being that the hosts could only muster two shots on target.

This also ended a run of eight successive home wins, six of which were accompanied by clean sheets, for Zinedine Zidane’s men who will be looking to bounce back to form here especially with Barcelona the visitors on Saturday.

Los Blancos have been more efficient than prolific with four of that eight game streak being goalless at half time and with the visitors last five Champions League fixtures also being level after the first 45 minutes they may have to grind out another win here.

Real Madrid to win after being level at half time is available at 17/5 with Bet Victor and looks an interesting play as does the 6/5 from Sky Bet for them to win to nil as both of their last two victories have been.

Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow | Wednesday 21st October 2020, 17:55 | BT Sport

Starts don’t come much better than the one made by Salzburg this season – winning all eight competitive games while smashing in 35 goals in the process with Zambian forward Patson Daka contributing seven of them from seven appearances including a brace in the final UCL qualification fixture.

The 22-year-old was linked with Tottenham over the summer and to demonstrate why, added another brace in his next game, a 7-1 league thrashing of Hartberg. I’m willing to see if he can continue that form in to the UCL and take odds of 9/2 with Betfair.

There doesn’t come much better opposition to attempt that against than Lokomotiv who have lost more UCL group stage games in the last two years than any other side in being defeated 10 times (W2, L10), conceding at least twice in eight of those fixtures.

I am expecting the entertaining Austrians to attempt to blow away their Russian opponents and having scored in both halves of seven of those victorious eight games so far this season I make them better than an even money shot to do that against Marko Nikolic’s side – but that’s the price on offer with Bet365 so I am happy to take it.

Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid | Wednesday 21st October 2020, 20:00 | BT Sport

Enter the champions!

Bayern Munich’s first game in defence of their crown looks a tough one on paper as they welcome an Atletico Madrid side who have kept three clean sheets in their opening four games.

Most sides would really feel the absence of Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane but although they will be missed Hans Flick’s team are a fearsome machine who still have the formidable Robert Lewandowski leading the line.

After scoring an incredible 34 league goals in 31 appearances and a stunning 15 UCL goals in 10 games last season the Polish hitman is already at his lethal best this term as a return of seven goals from four league games demonstrates.

That kind of return has contributed heavily to his side going into this clash with an incredible average winning margin of 3.18 across their last 11 successive wins in this competition and despite their reputation Diego Simeone’s side have actually lost five of their last seven European matches when playing in their opponents own stadium. Furthermore, all five of those defeats have seen Los Rojiblancos trailing at the half time.

I have a feeling Bayern will want to lay down a marker here and take full advantage of their visitors missing key midfield players in the shape of the departed Thomas Partey and injured Saul Niguez. My plays are Bayern/Bayern in the Half Time/Full Time market at a best priced 7/5 with Bet Victor and for Bayern to score Over 2.5 Goals at 7/4 with Sky Bet.

Inter Milan vs Borussia Monchengladbach | Wednesday 21st October 2020, 20:00 | BT Sport

These two teams come in to this clash in a sticky run of form – Inter drew with Lazio before a painful 2-1 reverse to city rivals AC Milan while Gladbach have only won one of their opening four Bundesliga games.

One commodity both sides are bringing to the party however, is GOALS!! Antonio Conte’s men have seen an astonishing average of 4.75 goals per game from their opening four Serie A fixtures which is even better than the average of 3.17 goals per game they produced from last seasons failed UCL group stage matches.

With the German side’s last four away league games crossing Over 2.5 Goals this should be the tie to keep an eye on for goal mouth action.

Using the Asian goal line provided by Unibet we can play Over 3 Goals at 6/5 meaning we have an odds against alternative to the skinny Over 2.5 Goals option and hope we see the net bulge at least four times – safe in the knowledge at least three strikes will be enough to secure a refund of our stake.

Who will fire the goals? We have to take the 10/11 again with Unibet for Romelu Lukaku to continue is hot streak in front of goal, with the Belgian scoring seven goals in his last six games for club and country. Even better than that though is the incredible run he is on in European club football – netting in each of his sides last eight matches in such competitions.

Midtjylland vs Atalanta | Wednesday 21st October 2020, 20:00 | BT Sport

The UCL welcomes Denmark’s Midtjylland for the first time at the group stage of the competition after conceding just one goal in their four qualifying games. Having also only conceded one goal in their opening three Superliga games their defensive resolve is likely to be extensively tested by last season’s darlings of the neutral Atalanta.

An incredible 13 goals in their opening three Serie A games, made even more incredible with two being away from home, saw La Dea pick up where they left off last season and having scored eight goals in their last three UCL fixtures this promises to be another exciting encounter.

Even when Gian Piero Gasperini’s side only found the net once last time out at Napoli – they managed to keep the scoreboard busy by shipping four goals themselves, all of which were in the first half.

Interestingly, all seven of Brian Priske’s side’s goals in UCL qualification came in the second half and so with the expected open nature of this contest I am going to take the 9/10 with Betway that they repeat the trick here.

Argentine attacking midfielder Alejandro Gomez currently tops the Serie A scoring charts with four goals from his first four appearances in the competition.

The 32-year-old has fired four shots off in three of those four games, is on free kicks and loves a pop from distance – if I see “to score outside the box” priced up prior to kick off I will play that – however, as it currently isn’t I will settle for the simple Alejandro Gomez to score bet at odds of 17/10 with Betfair.

Olympiakos vs Marseille | Wednesday 21st October 2020, 20:00 | BT Sport

Olympiacos are yet to taste defeat this campaign with four wins and two draws spanning their domestic league fixtures and the qualification stages of this competition. Traditionally strong opponents at home the Greek champions have only lost once here in the last seven UCL matches (W5, D1, L1) and in winning those five games did so by also keeping a clean sheet each time.

However, Marseille too are in good form with just one defeat, in a game I watched, from their opening seven Ligue 1 fixtures and are a very tough nut to crack on their travels. Their current run of 11 away league games without defeat is evidence of that, a sequence which includes a win at the mighty PSG and a draw at last season’s UCL semi-finalists Lyon.

In a game where it’s tough to split the two teams – why not play the draw – so I will, at a best priced 47/20 with Unibet.

If the visitors are to be tested it is likely Youseff El-Arabi will have a say in it. The Moroccan international has already fired seven goals in total for club and country this season, helping himself to a second half hat-trick after coming off the bench in his last fixture in the Greek Super League and I was a little surprised to see him available at 2/1 to add to his tally here.

Second half goals are something of a theme for the 33-year-old as every single one of his strikes this season have come after the restart – so although I can’t put it forward here, if you fancy an in-play bet, backing El-Arabi to score in the second 45 could be a very interesting option.

Best Bets

Real Madrid vs Shakhtar – Draw/Real Madrid (17/5 Bet Victor

Real Madrid vs Shakhtar – Real Madrid to win to nil (6/5 Sky Bet)

Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow – Salzburg to score in both halves (1/1 Bet 365)

Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow – Patson Daka to score 2+ goals (9/2 Betfair)

Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid – Bayern Munich/Bayern Munich (7/5 Bet Victor)

Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid – Bayern to score Over 2.5 Goals (7/4 Sky Bet)

Inter Milan vs Borussia Monchengladbach – Over 3 Asian Goals (6/5 Unibet)

Inter Milan vs Borussia Monchengladbach – Romelu Lukaku to score (10/11 Unibet)

Midtjylland vs Atalanta – Midtjylland to score in the 2nd half (9/10 Betway)

Midtjylland vs Atalanta – Alejandro Gomez to score (17/10 Betfair)

Olympiakos vs Marseille – Draw (47/20 Unibet)

Olympiakos vs Marseille – Youssef El-Arabi to score (2/1 Paddy Power)

Manchester United have omitted Sergio Romero and Phil Jones from their Premier League squad.

Marcos Rojo, who was left out of the Champions League squad along with Romero and Jones, has been included.

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New signings Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles are also in, while 18-year-old winger Facundo Pellistri has been placed on the Under-21 list with Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams and Teden Mengi.

Jones, who still has a minimum of three years left on his contract at Old Trafford after signing a long-term extension in February 2019, is currently injured and hasn't featured for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first team since in a 6-1 win over Tranmere in the FA Cup on Jan. 26.

Romero played the bulk of United's games in the FA Cup and Europa League last season but was replaced for the semifinals in both competitions by David De Gea.

Earlier this month, a number of United players expressed their disappointment at the treatment of Romero, sources told ESPN.

The 33-year-old has slipped down the pecking order after Dean Henderson's return from a successful loan spell at Sheffield United. Lee Grant, 37, has been included as United's third choice goalkeeper in both the Premier League and Champions League squads.

A breakaway European Premier League tournament, which would effectively replace the Champions League, could be doomed to failure as it would struggle to get crucial approval from governing bodies, sources have told ESPN.

Sky News reported on Tuesday that a $6 billion (£4.6 billion) funding package had been put in place for the competition, which would feature 16 or 18 of the biggest clubs, in league format, and is supported by Liverpool and Manchester United. The two Premier League clubs were behind a failed attempt to reshape English football last week, when Project Big Picture was rejected outright.

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FIFA, which has already set up an expanded summer Club World Cup and was due to begin in China in 2021 until the coronavirus crisis reshaped the football calendar, is reportedly a driving force behind the European Premier League.

The competition would need approval from UEFA, and sources told ESPN that European football's governing body had received no information on any European Premier League idea as of Tuesday. La Liga giants Barcelona, who would be expected to be approached, told ESPN that they were "not aware of these talks."

Sources said that national associations would also need to grant European licences, and the impact upon domestic leagues would be a considerable barrier to overcome.

La Liga president Javier Tebas told ESPN: "The authors of this idea, if they really exist because there is nobody actually defending it, not only show total ignorance of the organisation and customs of European and world football, but also a serious ignorance of the audiovisual rights markets.

"A project of this type will mean serious economic damage to the organisers themselves and to those entities that finance it, if they exist, because they're never official. These 'underground' projects only look good when drafted at a bar at 5 in the morning."

The latest reports of a breakaway competition, of which there have been several iterations in recent years, come at a crucial time for UEFA with the format for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle due to be agreed next year. The biggest clubs are eager to play more high-profile fixtures against their peers, and also receive a more lucrative financial package. Plans to expand the competition from 32 to 36 clubs, adding four group-stage fixtures for each club, are expected to be agreed.

A European Premier League would decimate the Champions League, UEFA's flagship and most lucrative tournament, of its marquee clubs. Twelve months ago, the Financial Times and New York Times reported Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had proposed a two-division world soccer league which UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin described as "an insane plan." UEFA has not issued any statement on the latest reports.

Clubs would continue to play in their domestic league, with European Premier League fixtures effectively replacing Champions League match dates. However, it is reported that financiers may want to play games during the day on weekends to maximise TV audiences in Asia, which would put it in conflict with the national associations.

ESPN has been told that national associations will almost certainly be opposed to any change that may affect the competitive balance of their leagues, including offering guaranteed places in European competitions which would devalue their own leagues and strengthen the position of a handful of clubs.

It may be particularly troublesome for the Premier League. While Liverpool and Manchester United are reported to be at the forefront of discussions, there would not be a place for all of the "Big Six." If locked out of the European Premier League, then whoever is left out from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur would be likely to join those in opposition.

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• Dolphins name Tua Tagovailoa starting quarterback
• Tua debuted in relief of Ryan Fitzpatrick in Sunday’s win over the Jets
• Dolphins have the third-best odds (+700) to win AFC East

On Sunday, rookie Tua Tagovailoa made his NFL debut for the Miami Dolphins. Tagovailoa replaced starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick late in the Dolphins’ 24-0 win over the hapless New York Jets, but most believed Tua’s appearance came in mop-up duty with the game well out of reach.

However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that the move is actually permanent. The Dolphins are set to announce that Tagovailoa will replace Fitzpatrick as the team’s starter on a full-time basis. Miami has a bye in Week 7, which means the Alabama product is set to make his first NFL start on November 1 against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8.

This just in: pic.twitter.com/byikxkJW68

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 20, 2020

Tagovailoa completed both of his passes in relief of Fitzpatrick on Sunday for a total of nine yards. While he was one of the most highly-coveted quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class, many believed Tagovailoa would have to wait even longer before earning Miami’s starting job.

Could Fitzpatrick Be Traded?

The Dolphins have gotten off to a solid 3-3 start with Fitzpatrick under center, and Miami has surprisingly emerged as one of the better offensive teams in football. The Dolphins rank 13th in pass DVOA so far in 2020, thanks in large part to the exploits of Fitzpatrick. The 37-year-old veteran has completed 70.1 percent of his throws for 1,535 yards with 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

Fitzpatrick has played for a number of teams in his career, and his impressive season has surely gotten the attention of other teams around the league. Now that Tagovailoa is starting, one would imagine the Dolphins could be interested in trading Fitzpatrick if a contender comes calling. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers are among those that would seem to be logical potential buyers.

Herbert, Burrow Posting Impressive Rookie Seasons

Miami is currently second in the AFC East, a half-game ahead of the New England Patriots and one game behind the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa was taken by the Dolphins with the fifth overall pick in April’s draft. He was the second QB off the board behind Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, and he was nabbed one spot before the Chargers took Oregon’s Justin Herbert at No. 6.

Burrow and Herbert have both enjoyed quite a bit of success as rookies, which may have played a role in Miami’s desire to get Tua onto the field as quickly as possible.

The Bengals are just 1-4-1 with Burrow leading the way, but the former Heisman winner has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,617 yards with six touchdowns to four interceptions. Burrow has also added a pair of rushing touchdowns on the year.

Herbert was unexpectedly pressed into duty back in Week 2 when the Chargers’ starter, Tyrod Taylor, was injured during a pregame medical mishap. Los Angeles has lost all four games with Herbert as the starter, but he can’t really be blamed for their shortcomings. Herbert has completed 68.8 percent of his throws for 1,195 yards with nine touchdown to three interceptions. The 22-year-old has impressively held his own in going toe-to-toe with the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees in recent weeks.

Dolphins Remain Underdogs in AFC East

Tagovailoa injured his hip last November in what was his final game with Alabama. He was ultimately required to undergo season-ending hip surgery, and many wondered whether the hip condition would prove problematic for his pro prospects. The Dolphins were sold enough on his medical records to grab him with the No. 5 pick, though, and the team clearly believes he is healthy enough to be a full-time starter in this league.

Following their Week 8 game at home against the Rams, the Dolphins will head to Arizona for a matchup against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in Week 9. Miami’s schedule after that features games against the Broncos, Jets, Chiefs, Patriots, Raiders, and Bills. Tua and the Dolphins will also face Herbert and the Chargers in Week 10, while they will clash with Burrow and the Bengals in Week 13.

The Dolphins are listed at +700 to win the AFC East this season, which puts them behind the Bills (-200) and Patriots (+225). Tagovailoa is also facing long odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, especially considering the other candidates will have had a half-season’s head start on him for the award. Burrow (+150) is the favorite, followed closely by Herbert (+250), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (+700), and CeeDee Lamb (+1500). Tua is listed at +8000 to win the award.

Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has said Alphonso Davies's form has "dropped" this season ahead of their Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Davies, 19, has lost his place in the starting lineup to Lucas Hernandez, who joined Bayern from Atletico for €80 million in 2019, since the start of the campaign.

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Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Flick said that Davies' performances had not reached the levels of last season but he still has a chance to regain his spot.

"Alphonso's form dropped a bit," Flick said. "But he gets all our support. We benefit from his pace, his energy. It's important he gets back on track."

"It's a bit normal to see a young player go through such a spell following an incredible season. We will support and help him."

The Canada international impressed during the 2019-29 season where he shone on the left-wing and helped Bayern achieve a historic Treble.

His performances also earned him a place the shortlist for Tuttosport's Golden Boy award, where Davies is one of the headline names alongside Borussia Dortmund duo Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho, and Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood.

After Bayern's 4-1 victory in the Bundesliga at Bielefeld, where Davies only featured for one minute, Flick said that the defender was paying the price for an outstanding 19-20 season.

Flick also added that Bayern can retain the Champions League this season if they can avoid major injuries and focus on every game.

RB Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch has said Frank Lampard did not rate Christian Pulisic at the start of his Chelsea career because he was American.

Pulisic struggled for regular game time after his £58 million move from Borussia Dortmund and said he was "frustrated" at the time.

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Lampard said the forward needed time to adapt to the Premier League but Marsch believes Pulisic was being unfairly treated by the Chelsea boss.

"The perception in Europe, mostly, is that the American player is willing to run, willing to fight, has good mentality, but technically they're not very gifted and tactically they're not very aware and their experiences aren't very big," he told Extratime Radio.

"But we're seeing that change. We're seeing more and more of these players develop themselves.

"Even Frank Lampard, when I spoke to him in preseason a year ago now, I was talking to him about having Christian Pulisic and he was kind of like: 'Yeah, he's got a lot to learn so we'll see how he does.' I said to him: 'Listen, he was at Dortmund, and they had a high level of tactical thinking, of playing, and he was very successful.'

"He was considered one of the best young players in Germany and that's in a group of players with Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Joshua Kimmich, these kinds of players. He was in a group with those players, and it's not just because he was talented but it was because he understood the tactics and understood how to fit in the game and he was developing a real astute way of how to play.

"I could see right away that Frank Lampard's idea of Christian Pulisic was shaped a lot by the fact that he was American and not that his football education came a lot from what has happened in Germany. Since then, I think Lampard has learned that Pulisic is a lot better than he gave him credit for.

"Christian had to fight for that, which is the American quality, but he's a damn good player. Same with Gio Reyna, same with Tyler Adams, same with Weston McKennie."

Pulisic went on to enjoy an impressive debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, contributing 11 goals and 10 assists in all competitions. He was also nominated for the Premier League's Young Player of the Year award.

The United States international was handed the club's iconic No. 10 jersey this season as a result of his performances.

Pulisic made his first appearance of the campaign in the 3-3 draw against Southampton and could feature in Chelsea's Champions League opener against Sevilla on Tuesday.

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Mesut Ozil could have played his last game for Arsenal after he was left out of the club's 25-man Premier League squad, sources have told ESPN.

The 32-year-old has not played a single minute for the Gunners since March 7 and was not registered with UEFA for their Europa League campaign which begins against Rapid Vienna on Thursday.

- Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Ozil at Arsenal: The highs and lows

Premier League clubs have until Tuesday at 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. ET) to submit their final 25-man group after the closure of the domestic window in England and ESPN has learned Ozil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos have been left out.

It means both players are now not eligible to play for the Arsenal first time for the rest of the year.

The only other competition the Gunners will play in before Christmas is the EFL Cup and the rules dictate "a registered player is one who would be registered and eligible to participate in a Premier League match" or is an under-21 player.

Therefore Ozil and Sokratis' omission from the Premier League squad leaves them only available for U23 matches until the New Year at the earliest -- clubs are able to revise their squads once the January transfer window opens -- but in reality this latest snub will only put further pressure on both players to leave in January.

Sokratis was in talks over a move to Napoli but that deal collapsed as the Italians did not sell Kalidou Koulibaly and so the deadline passed without an agreement. The 32-year-old is expected to secure a transfer away in January although his destination is as yet unknown.

Ozil was told he could leave but the midfielder chose to stay and fight for his first-team place as he entered the final year of his £350,000-a-week contract.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta started Ozil in his first ten League games prior to the coronavirus pandemic but after the former Germany international refused to join the vast majority of the first-team squad in taking a pay cut during lockdown, he has not appeared for the first team since.

Ozil has received huge offers from the Middle East to leave but believed there was a chance he could force his way back into Arteta's thinking. Sources have told ESPN there have been no talks to terminate Ozil's contract.

However, the club have now shown him precisely where he stands and will seek to move him on again in January in an effort to save the final six months of his wage and save more than £8 million on their wage bill.

Well, that’s one way to derail Liverpool’s title defence. Not nice, but that’s the game sometimes.

I’m talking Jordan Pickford’s tackle on Virgil van Dijk in the Merseyside Derby. It didn’t look good, did it?

Someone said it reminded them of me on Macca in the Cup Final - I left my mark on him, but he played on - Virgil van Dijk wasn’t so lucky. The difference is I went through the ball - and then the player. Jordan wasn’t close to the ball at all, but got the player.

I got a yellow card at Wembley and Pickford got f*** all. How’s that?! And sorry Jordan it was also a penalty - the officials will say the ball was dead because of offside, but that’s b*******.

It doesn’t look like he’ll be banned either, even though some time away can help. He’s one of those players with the spotlight on him now - like Harry Maguire at Man United and Kepa at Chelsea - and trouble can follow you round.

When you’re having a bad run, things just seem to happen - mark my words, I know. But sometimes you just have to stand up, take a breather - and take stock. You then come back stronger - and Jordan will.

Liverpool are just hoping van Dijk comes back this season, full stop. He’s their rock in the heart of the defence and, if you think about recent times, it’s like Man City without Vincent Kompany.

They say Klopp is now looking for a replacement, which will not be easy - and I creased up when I saw Jamie Carragher on Sky asking Conor Coady after the Wolves game if he’d return to his boyhood club! What’s Carra like?

Fair play to Conor who handled it well and shut him down quickly. Here’s a man - unlike Pickford, Maguire and Kepa - who’s absolutely loving his football at the moment, and rightly so. He’s in the England team and sorting Wolves out. Top work.

And going back to that Everton v Liverpool game, don't get me started on the offside. The Reds should have won that - what are they seeing on VAR that we’re not? 

Anyway, let’s move on - and what a game at Spurs at the weekend!

The Hammers were down and out. Three down and Kane was running wild. He was brilliant and so much better than when he played for England just a few days before - he coasted through that game but was bang up for Spurs.

Of course, it all ended badly for Jose’s boys. What a screamer from Lanzini to level things up! It shocked everyone - even the boys in the Sky studio.

I think they’d all done their post-match research - and had to rip it up! They didn’t know what to talk about - except whether Lloris should have saved it. Leave me alone.

And there was me thinking Davey Moyes should have stayed at home on the end of the phone! He was probably thinking the same at half-time. What a turnaround - and just another brilliant Premier League game this season.

I suppose we’ve got to assume it’d be same even with fans in the stadiums, but maybe not.

It was no different at the Bridge when Southampton pegged back Chelsea in the dying minutes. Another cracking finish to a game, but Chelsea were definitely at fault - again.

The Blues still look vulnerable at the back and that will keep Frank on the money this season - and that’s good. They’ve got to see pushing, improving and riding the bumps in the road. 

They’ve got some fantastic players - and play great football. They’ll get better but just lack some bite - what Frank would give for a Drogba, a Costa, a Terry, a Chopper Harris - even another Frank Lampard. You cannot buy that will-to-win.

Chelsea taken on Man United at Old Trafford this weekend. It’s this week’s ‘glamour’ game and I’m going for the Blues to cut Ole’s men down to size - Pulisic and Werner will just be too quick for United’s defence. Get on.

Leeds kick off the next round of Premier League matches on funky Friday night. They’re up against Villa who’ve made a great start to the season - good loan signing Ross Barkley grabbed them three points late on Sunday against Leicester.

However, I’m going for Bielsa and the boys to bounce back and get a win at Villa Park - they’d have learned from the Wolves defeat and had large parts of that game. Bit more ruthless please Marcelo!

Check out all my predictions below.

Right, it’s not often you play 18 holes with the world’s number one golfer and the most famous ice hockey player there’s ever been - but I have!

That’s right. Vinnie Jones against Dustin Johnson and Wayne Gretzky - what a three-ball. I spanked them both.

Alright, maybe not, but the reason for saying is that we played at the exclusive Sherwood Country Club at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains in California.

There’s some history there I can tell you - especially if you love your films, as I do - of course!

Before it was a golf course, they filmed the early Robin Hood films there - I’m talking Douglas Fairbanks jnr and Errol Flynn here! And if you’re a M*A*S*H fan, catch the opening helicopter scene - that’s where Sherwood is.

Anyway, I’ve walked those fairways - and so will the other best players in the world in this week’s Zozo Championship!

It’s a Who’s Who of golfing talent building up to the Masters. Tiger’s in the field as the defending champion - and that’s always a draw. And while my man DJ is still self-isolating the way is clear for others to shine in Vinnie’s Three Off The Tee stateside.

I’m going with Patrick Reed to prepare for his Masters in the best possible way - he shot a 65 during his four rounds last year - plus Scottie Scheffler, who’s back in action after his time off, and Tommy Fleetwood. Tommy got better with each round last year.

As for the European Tour, it’s the dolce vita for Westy and the crew who are playing at Chervo Gold Club in the Brescia area of Lombardy.

There’s not a huge amount of C&D form to go on - but my hunch is for in-form Matt Wallace, home favourite Renato Paratore and Thorbjorn Oleson, who looked like he was getting things back together at Wentworth recently.

Good luck all, enjoy your sporting week and stay safe.

Vinnie

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Vinnie’s best bets

Golf

Thursday

Italian Open

Matt Wallace
Renato Paratore
Thorbjorn Oleson

The ZOZO Championship

Patrick Reed
Scottie Scheffler
Tommy Fleetwood

Premier League

Friday

Aston Villa v Leeds LEEDS WIN

Saturday

West Ham United v Manchester City MAN CITY WIN

Fulham v Crystal Palace PALACE WIN

Manchester United v Chelsea CHELSEA WIN

Liverpool v Sheffield United LIVERPOOL WIN

Sunday

Southampton v Everton DRAW

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United WOLVES WIN

Arsenal v Leicester City DRAW

Monday

Brighton & Hove Albion v West Bromwich Albion BRIGHTON WIN

Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur DRAW

• The Milwaukee Bucks have reiterated that they will not trade Giannis Antetokounmpo if he doesn’t sign an extension.
• Antetokounmpo will enter the final year of his contract during the 2021 NBA season.
• The back to back NBA MVP is eligible to receive a super max deal worth an estimated $254M.

We’ve heard this before but let’s say this one more time: The Milwaukee Bucks will not trade Giannis Antetokounmpo even if he declines a max extension offer.

Instead of letting him go, Milwaukee wil try to improve its roster and use the 2021 season to show Antetkounmpo why he should stay. The Bucks management has already informed its best player that they are willing to spend beyond the luxury tax line if that is what’s needed to keep him on their side.

Antetokounmpo will be heading to the final year of his contract and the Bucks are hoping that he will sign a super max extension that will keep him in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. If he doesn’t sign Milwaukee’s extension offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent during the 2021 offseason.

More Reasons To Stay Than Leave

Giannis claims he wants to stay in Milwaukee, but the Bucks need to upgrade if they want to keep their MVP around

ALEX JONES (@AlexJ0nes9) analyses the odds as Rapid Vienna welcome Arsenal in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Rapid Vienna vs Arsenal | Thursday 22nd October 2020, 17:55 | BT Sport

Arsenal travel to Austria on Thursday evening to kick-start their Europa League campaign against Rapid Vienna. This game is to go ahead despite one Rapid player testing positive for Covid-19.

Mikel Arteta’s men are massive favourites at 4/7 with the bookies and the Spaniard will surely be focussing on going all the way in this year’s competition to get Arsenal back in the Champions League. They have started well this season, it must be said, only narrowly losing to Manchester City last time out.

The Gunners face a Rapid side who have won three of their opening four Austrian Bundesliga games. The Green & Whites are second in the table, as they look to challenge Red Bull Salzburg, who have won the last seven consecutive doemstic titles.

The Vienna club are full of confidence ahead of this one, and this looks to be a trickier test than the odds may suggest. The hosts missed out on a Europa League campaign last season, but the season before last were knocked out at the hands of Inter Milan in the first knockout stage.

Inter are the only team to have won away to Rapid in nine matches. In fact, the last English side to face Rapid Vienna was Aston Villa way back in 2010, also in the Europa League.

Neither side has had problems in front of goal this season. The Green & Whites have scored 10 in their opening four league encounters, with frontman Taxiarchis Fountas being the main threat. He has scored an impressive seven goals across all competitions, and will be looking to trouble Arsenals backline here.

The Greek international has great acceleration and is very agile, and at such a young age of 20, looks to be a huge talent. The best price on him notching past the London club on Thursday is 21/10 with Bet365.

For Arsenal, it is interesting to see what side Arteta fields considering they face Leicester on Sunday at The Emirates. We could expect a debut to be given to Alex Runarsson in goal, as the Icelandic international has not yet featured. However, Bernd Leno did start in both Carabao Cup fixtures earlier this season.

I doubt captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will start, which could see an exciting and electric front three in Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Nicolas Pepe take centre stage. That frontline could be devastating on the break in the Austrian capital and the card markets for Vienna could appeal given their pace and trickery.

Pavel Kralovec has the whistle for this contest who loves a card. He has shown 21 yellow cards in just four Fortuna Liga games this season. The Czech referee has been a UEFA referee for 15 years so is highly experienced and showed 14 yellow cards and 1 red in just two Europa League games in 2019/20.

The Gunners may be unbeaten in all of their last three away matches in the Europa League but two of those games saw the draw cop, when held by Vitoria Guimaraes and Standard Liege, while they only edged past Olympiakos 1-0, in a scrappy game that was a harsh result on Olympiakos. That said, the price on the draw does appeal at 10/3.

I’m not convinced Arsenal should be heavy favourites for this one, after all the group stages are a long process and Arsenal’s form at The Emirates may determine their success. A draw would not be the worse result in the world for the North Londoners, especially considering Vienna are the team expected to qualify along with Arsenal.

This draws me on nicely to my one and only bet – I’m taking Rapid Vienna on the Double Chance market given their home record. They are likely to be Arsenal’s closest challengers in Group B and will fancy their chances against Arteta’s men.

I’m chucking in Under 5 Goals as well as I’m not expecting plenty of goals, given Arsenal’s improvement at the back at the start of this season. That gives us a juicy quote of 8/5 with Unibet’s Bet Builder market. It is 6/4 with Bet365 which is also worth taking in my view.

Best Bets

Rapid Vienna vs Arsenal – Rapid Vienna Double Chance and Under 5 Goals (8/5 Unibet)