12:00 Sunday

Sunderland vs Coventry - Coventry win 

Sunderland are back in the Championship for the first time since 2018. They spent four long years fighting to gain promotion back to the second tier of English football and have finally got their reward after beating Wycombe 2-0 in the play-off final. They have added quality additions to their squad for the 21/22 season and will be looking to not only survive but compete. They haven’t had the best pre-season, with three losses out of five games but will be hoping they can perform when their league officially starts. 

Coventry had a good season last year and were highly competitive for a large majority before tailing off towards the end. They were promoted to the Championship in 2020, progressed in the league each year and will be hoping to progress even further this year and challenge for the play-offs. They have added a couple of good pieces to the squad and have kept all their best players, so they will be optimistic for the coming season. 

12:30 Sunday

Genk vs Standard Liege - Genk win 

Genk’s season didn’t start off in the best way when they played Club Brugge last week, losing 3-2. Albeit Club Brugge are the reigning champions. They will likely feel their season starts this week and that a win against Standard Liege could really kickstart their season. Before losing to Club Brugge last week they had a good pre-season which saw them beat Utrecht and RFC Seraing. With home advantage, we think they may just pip this one. 

Standard Liege drew their opening game vs Gent 2-2 and will be happy with that opening result as they had an early red card which put them up against it. After the red card, Gent dominated possession and went 2-1 up, but an 89th minute equaliser meant a share of the points. They will be hoping they can keep 11 men on the pitch this week and can push on for the win. 

16:30 Sunday

Celtic vs Aberdeen - Celtic win 

Celtic reclaimed the Premiership last year, taking it back off their arch-rivals Rangers and will be looking to win their 53rd league title this year. They have added some quality to their squad depth, including Jota from Benfica for £7 million, and will be hoping these can help them progress in Europe after seeing Rangers reach the Europa League final last year. With their squad strength, history and expectations, Celtic are the clear favourites here. 

In Contrast, Aberdeen had an awful season last year and finished third bottom at the end of the second phase of the league. They have lost a key player in Calvin Ramsey, who signed for Liverpool earlier in the window but have added a couple of good additions to the squad. They’ve had a good Scottish League Cup group stage, winning all three games whilst scoring 10 without conceding. They will hope they can take this form into the league season but face a difficult start.