The EV Eagle picks out five value angles across the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1 for Friday's action.
Friday begins with a feisty fixture in the Premier League's Gameweek 2, with Crystal Palace hosting Manchester City at Selhurst Park, while La Liga sees Villarreal travel to Mendizorroza to face an unbeaten Alavés side. Ligue 1 also serves up an early heavyweight clash, as league leaders Lille welcome champions Paris Saint-Germain to the Decathlon Arena in a repeat of last season's title race.
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Tip 1: Rayan Cherki - To Score Or Assist
Advised Stake: 1pt
Best Odds: Evens (Paddy Power)
Cherki has been directly involved in a goal in five of his last nine Premier League appearances, a return that improves to two from his last four on the road. Manchester City travel to Selhurst Park off the back of a 2-1 win over Bournemouth in which they needed goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol in the final six minutes to see the game off, and Enzo Maresca will be hoping for a cleaner attacking performance this time out.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, were beaten 2-0 at Everton despite generating 1.96 xG of their own, suggesting there should be space in behind for City's front line to exploit. With Cherki operating in City's front three alongside Haaland and either Foden or Semenyo, backing him to have a hand in a goal at even money looks a fair price.
Tip 2: Georges Mikautadze - Anytime Goalscorer
Advised Stake: 1pt
Best Odds: 9/5 (10bet)
Mikautadze has scored in four of his last seven appearances for Villarreal, and he has previous history with Friday's opponents, having found the net against Alavés last season. Villarreal head to Mendizorroza on the back of consecutive 2-2 draws with Racing Santander and Atlético Madrid, results that reflect an attack still finding goals even while their defence has been leaking them at the other end.
Alavés arrive full of confidence having taken four points from their opening two matches, including a 3-0 win over Getafe, but they've conceded chances of their own in doing so. With Mikautadze the focal point of a Villarreal side who have scored in every game so far this season, another goal from the Georgian looks a solid angle.
Tip 3: Hakon Arnar Haraldsson - Over 0.5 Shots On Target
Advised Stake: 1pt
Best Odds: 59/50 (Virgin Bet)
Haraldsson has exceeded 0.5 shots on target in six of his last ten games, though his output at home has been slightly less consistent, with shot-on-target counts of 0, 3, 0 and 2 across his last four appearances at the Decathlon Arena. His underlying shot volume remains healthy regardless, with totals of 1, 5, 1, 2 and 0 across his last five matches overall.
Lille go into this one top of the table after a 2-0 opening-day win over Angers, with Haraldsson operating centrally in behind the striker and expected to see plenty of the ball against a PSG side who have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last seven matches. That defensive fragility, combined with Haraldsson's underlying shot numbers, makes this a reasonable line to clear even against the champions.
Tip 4: Desire Doué - Over 0.5 Assists
Advised Stake: 1pt
Best Odds: 19/5 (Coral)
Doué has a strong individual history against Friday's opponents, recording an assist in three of his last three appearances against Lille. He was directly involved for PSG throughout last season, finishing with eight assists in all competitions, and he's carried that form into the new campaign, setting up a goal as well as scoring one himself in the UEFA Super Cup final win over Aston Villa.
PSG were made to work hard for a 2-2 draw at Rennes on the opening weekend after twice falling behind, and with Nuno Mendes suspended following his dismissal against Lens, Luis Enrique's side may lean more heavily on their front line to create chances rather than get in behind from full-back. Doué recording an assist against a side he has thrived against previously looks an attractive price at nearly 4/1.
Tip 5: Ferran Torres - Anytime Goalscorer
Advised Stake: 1pt
Best Odds: 9/5 (Quinnbet)
Torres marked his PSG debut in style, coming off the bench to score a brace and salvage a point in the opening-weekend draw with Rennes, and he has carried that form from a rich vein that stretches back to his World Cup final heroics over the summer. He's now pushing for a first start for his new club at Lille having shown he can be relied upon in front of goal.
Lille kept a clean sheet against Angers on the opening weekend, but PSG's attacking talent runs deep, and Torres arriving in France on the back of the two biggest performances of his career makes him a dangerous outlet regardless of whether he starts or is introduced from the bench again. At 9/5, backing him to add to his early PSG goal tally looks the value angle to end the card.
