This article is part of our Soccer Picks series.
Brighton over Tottenham +190
Brighton's adaptive and disciplined style under new manager Fabian Hurzeler has become a problem for teams early in the season, beating the likes of Manchester United and drawing with Arsenal. They've controlled the ball well in most situations and their average possession per match is at nearly 60 percent. Prior to Saturday's mistake-heavy game against Chelsea, it often led to minimal chances for opposing teams, ranking near the top of the league in terms of expected goals allowed.
Tottenham have stayed much the same from last campaign, as a high-pressing team and an always-attacking mentality being the building blocks of Ange Postecoglou's tactics. They're producing plenty of opportunities, but that hasn't shown up in actual goals, which is the most important thing.
Helping Brighton, Tottenham had trips to Manchester United and Ferencvaros before this match. Brighton are home, rested and in a great spot for three points if Tottenham can't convert their opportunities, which has been their problem in almost every match in the early season.
Brighton will hope to make the most of what will be limited chances, similar to their win against Manchester United when they bagged a late winner despite having less of the ball. Also important to winning this game will be to reduce mistakes, something that may have given them nightmares after Cole Palmer's four-goal performance.
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Union Berlin over Borussia Dortmund +230
Union Berlin have been one of the strongest defensive teams in the Bundesliga to begin the campaign, a far cry from their awful defensive form last season. Already with a clean sheet at RB Leipzig, they seem ready to contend for a European spot again. They've been mostly comfortable playing without the ball, so against a highly possessive Borussia Dortmund squad, they could succeed if able to keep them at bay and not allow many touches around the box.
Dortmund have had an up-and-down start to their season and the recent 5-1 loss to Stuttgart showed them at their worst. Even last week, they went down two goals to lowly Bochum before making a change and ultimately winning 4-2 with three second-half goals. Of course, that game was at home. This one is in Berlin and they won't have the Yellow Wall to cheer them on in case they go down a goal again.
Playing on the road, anything can happen, and then you throw in Tuesday's Champions League match for Dortmund, home against Celtic, which means rotation is always possible.
Union aren't exactly contending for a top-four spot like they did two seasons ago, but their ability to defend in front of net should prove key against top teams in the league like Dortmund. Playing at home, three points will be possible, especially against a team that is struggling to keep clean sheets.
Nantes over Lyon +320
Nantes have been one of the surprise teams to start the Ligue 1 season with the recent loss to St. Etienne the early blemish on their record. Their success has been fueled by a stout defense that breaks on a quick counter with pace in the attack, conceding less than one goal per match in the early stages. In this spot, they face a Lyon team that's struggled on both ends of the pitch, creating the perfect cocktail for an upset on the road.
Lyon have had maybe the toughest opening schedule which includes games against Marseille, Monaco and Lens, so their struggles can be attributed to that. Still, they're allowing goals in bunches and have already been held scoreless multiple times.
Making matters more difficult, Lyon played at Rangers on Thursday in Europa League, so they could have some tired legs, something Nantes don't have to worry about. If Lyon are a bit slow, that could be the perfect opening for Nantes to steal a point or three.
Player to Pop: Vinicius Junior
Vinicius is in a great spot to produce ahead of the international break, home against a defense-optional Villarreal team. Kylian Mbappe is coming back from injury, which could mean more opportunities for Vinicius on the left wing. Villarreal have already allowed five goals to Barcelona and three to Celta Vigo, so their back line hasn't had the most success to open the campaign.
Vinicius has had a decent start to the season playing alongside Mbappe and will be first up if Real Madrid get another penalty kick Saturday. And even without Mbappe, Real Madrid aren't lacking for talent, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them rack up goals in this spot. If that's the case, Vinicius seems most likely to score or assist coming in off his favored left wing.
