Good Morning ☀️,

It’s Lucas here, your Chief Predictions Officer at What Are the Odds?

Ask any football nut who the greatest tacticians are, and you’ll probably hear names ranging from Herbert Chapman (W-M formation) to Pep Guardiola (positional play, tiki-taka evolution).

This week, I want to propose a new name for that list.

Mr. Beast.

Last week, during the 2026 Match for Hope, he produced a play the likes of which we’ve never seen.

For the curious, here’s what transpired:

<< Mr Beast Rewrites Football Tactics — Read About it @ The Sun >>

And here’s what’s ahead in this week’s edition of What Are the Odds?

• This weekend’s best EPL odds. 🦵⚽

• Some quick Pep Guardiola trivia. 🏟️✨

• A quote to help keep you focused. 🔥

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⚽ Man United vs Tottenham
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 13:30 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: A nice, clean edge with some solid odds to kick off the weekend.

• CXSports says: Man United will arrive at this fixture with a clean statistical edge. They are scoring close to 1.6 goals per match while also having a slightly better form vector than Tottenham, who are struggling at home and only managing a little under 1.5 goals per game. What further tips this in United’s favor is the fact that Tottenham’s defence is conceding at roughly 1.4 goals per outing, which suggests United should be able to breach them so long as they create chances. Of course, Tottenham won’t allow themselves to be walked all over — their away scoring numbers (often better than home) show they can find the net, even if their inconsistency will put a cap on it here.

• Score prediction: 2-1 for Man United

Option #1

• Bet: Man United Victory

• Odds Range: 1.47-1.70

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.43-1.62

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

⚽ Arsenal vs Sunderland
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: They might not be perfect, but it’s still a pretty smart move to back Arsenal in most games they play.

• CXSports says: Dragging a string of draws and a loss behind them, Arsenal seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch lately, which has called their outright dominance somewhat into question. However, that’s all it is — a rough patch — and it does nothing to undermine the immense quality within the Arsenal squad, as evidenced by their league-dominating +29 goal difference. Had Sunderland been a stronger opponent, we might have granted the benefit of the doubt. But given the sheer difference in quality here, we feel confident saying Arsenal will rise above any recent form issues in this meeting.

• Score prediction: 2-0 for Arsenal

Option #1

• Bet: Arsenal Victory

• Odds Range: 1.11-1.26

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 1.5)

• Odds Range: 1.13-1.25

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

⚽ Bournemouth vs Aston Villa
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: There’s nothing we like more than a punt on some big odds with a solid case backing up the play.

• CXSports says: The consensus on this one right now is that it will be a close game. And, in a way, it makes sense. Bournemouth has a monster attack (one of the best in the league with 40 goals scored), a solid 3-1-1 record in their last 5, and let’s not forget they’re also carrying the home advantage here. With that said, Aston Villa is technically better on all other fronts aside from attack. In particular, their defense is one of the tightest in the league (second only to Arsenal). That alone should put a pretty hard stop to Bournemouth’s sometimes reckless attacking style. The fact that Villa can back that up with solid consistency in attack (even if not spectacular) hints that they’re on better footing than meets the eye.

• Score prediction: 1-2 for Aston Villa

Option #1

• Bet: Aston Villa Victory

• Odds Range: 2.05-2.51

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.42-1.60

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

⚽ Burnley vs West Ham
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: Honestly, we’re probably not watching this one. We’re just including it for completeness.

• CXSports says: In case you were wondering what the answer to “which EPL sides currently have the worst defensive records”, the answer is found in this fixture. Burnley has conceded 47 this season, and West Ham has conceded 48. Lucky for West Ham, they can hold their heads up high and be slightly less embarrassed, thanks to their slightly better results up at the pointy end of the field, with 29 goals scored vs Burnley’s 25. They’ve also got a slightly better track record in the head-to-head history, along with slightly better form over their last five league games leading into this one. That’s enough to grant them an edge, even if it isn’t a big one.

• Score prediction: 1-2 for West Ham

Option #1

• Bet: West Ham Victory

• Odds Range: 1.90-2.21

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.57-1.75

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

Want to get the best odds on these predictions?

Alright, so we might have been joking when we said Mr Beast should be regarded as one of the great football tacticians of all time.

But we weren’t joking when we said Pep’s name.

His secret sauce?

He took the football worldview he learned under a manager when he was a player for Barcelona, and turned it into a system through obsessive refinement and drills.

Now let’s see if you know who this infamous coach is with a quick quiz from our friends at Masters of Trivia.

Question: Which manager shaped Guardiola’s football worldview most directly?

• A: Louis van Gaal

• B: Marcelo Bielsa

• C: Arrigo Sacchi

• D: Johan Cruyff

Think you know the answer?

Read to the end to see if you were right.

⚽ Fulham vs Everton
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: Solid double chance play here, even if the odds aren’t exactly spectacular.

• CXSports says: Fulham averages about 1.4 goals per match this season, while Everton is sitting closer to 1.1 per game. On the face of it, that would make Fulham look slightly stronger. That is, until we observe the fact that both sides are conceding at the same rate they’re scoring — both have a -1 goal difference. Of course, Fulham does hold the home advantage here, but that’s somewhat neutralized by the fact that, in recent head-to-heads, Everton has maintained a slight edge, with some comfortable wins (2-0, 3-1) and generally more points from these fixtures, even if the overall win rate is far from overwhelming. That historical edge, combined with a less volatile defence, could be enough to see them push Fulham to equality in this match, even if we can’t ignore Fulham’s home advantage entirely.

• Score prediction: 2-1 for Fulham or 1-1 Draw

Option #1

• Bet: Double Chance (Fulham / Draw)

• Odds Range: 1.12-1.31

Option #2

• Bet: Fulham Victory

• Odds Range: 1.90-2.17

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

⚽ Wolves vs Chelsea
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: It finally looks like it’s safe to bet against the Wolves again!

• CXSports says: After what looked like a turnaround, the Wolves find themselves back in a death spiral after two back-to-back defeats put an end to their lucky streak. Now, they’re back to their old selves — a toothless attack, and a defense that almost seems to want to concede at every opportunity. That’s going to leave them vulnerable against Chelsea, even if some managerial churn plus some fitness issues might be putting a dampener on their usual performance.

• Score prediction: 0-2 for Chelsea

Option #1

• Bet: Chelsea Victory

• Odds Range: 1.48-1.74

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 1.5)

• Odds Range: 1.13-1.24

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

⚽ Newcastle vs Brentford
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 18:30 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: We’re not watching this one for the result — there are some better plays here!

• CXSports says: While it’s not exactly massive, Newcastle seems to have an edge here, even if Brentford does look slightly better on paper, with a better goal balance (+4 vs 0 for Newcastle) and better league positioning (#7 with 36 points vs #11 for Newcastle with 33 points). As for what tips this one in Newcastle's favor — that’s a combination of their home record (7 victories in 12 games), and their slight edge in historical head-to-heads, even if recent outliers (Brentford thrashed them 3-1 in November) would seem to contradict the historical data. Of course, any edge Newcastle might hold here is slight and somewhat theoretical. Thus, our best guess here is that this could go either way.

• Score prediction: 1-2 or 2-1 for either side, or 2-2 Draw

Option #1

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 1.5)

• Odds Range: 1.12-1.24

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.41-1.65

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

⚽ Liverpool vs Man City
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 08 February; 17:30 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: We’re watching this one more for the intrigue than the certainty.

• CXSports says: This one promises to be a tight tactical duel between two of the EPL’s elite. For its part, Liverpool scores around 1.6 goals per match and concedes 1.4 — a profile that suggests open games where they both attack and get exposed. Manchester, on the other hand, scores around 2 goals per game while conceding less than 1, meaning that, on paper, they’re more efficient at both ends. However, form matters here: City only has one league win in six, putting them more or less on par with Liverpool. What’s more, when these two have clashed recently, the results have swung both ways. And don’t ignore the chance creation metric — Liverpool generates more high-quality opportunities than anyone else in the league. In short, this one will be tight and could see either side come out on top.

• Score prediction: 1-2 or 2-1 for either side

Option #1

• Bet: Double Chance (Liverpool / Man City)

• Odds Range: 1.12-1.30

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 2.5)

• Odds Range: 1.43-1.63

▶▶Stats Explained Here: [Read More]

Make your sportsbook work for you!

Aside from being Pep Guardiola’s single greatest source of inspiration, Johan Cruyff also had a pretty good approach to things outside of football.

Take this quote, for instance.

Moral of the story?

This one’s a bit of a spin on the old “If you’re going to do something, do it properly” quote.

• If you’re going to be somewhere, don’t just be there passively.

• If you engage yourself and make the most of it, only good things can come.

Want to learn more about Johan Cruyff?

<< Learn More About Johan Cruyff @ Cruyff Football >>

PS: The answer to this week’s question was [D] — Pep played (and learned half his tricks) under Johan Cruyff at Barcelona. Discover more trivia like this with the Pep Guardiola Trivia Quiz.