Does any of this really matter? Shall we just get it all on Lewis Cope to win Strictly Come Dancing at 4/1 and call it a day? Da-da-da-da… 💃 🎶 

💰 Punt: Yu Hirakawa & Robert Atkinson 3+ Tackles Each, Yu Hirakwa & Robert Atkinson 4+ Tackles Each
📗 Bookie: Bet365
🎲 Odds: 17.00 (16/1) & 67.00 (66/1)
⚽️ Game: Derby vs. Bristol City

Japanese left wing-back Yu Hirakawa has started off the season as a tackling machine under new Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber. He made 4 successful tackles in 75 minutes vs. Sheffield United, attempting 7 in total. He followed that up in the Robins’ second league game of the campaign vs. Charlton with another 3 successful tackles out of the 4 in total he attempted. Meanwhile, Robert Atkinson, who is the last line of defence behind Hirakawa, made 2 tackles out of the 3 he attempted vs. Sheffield United & was successful in all 3 of his attempts vs. Charlton. In his previous seasons as a Bristol City player, Atkinson has averaged 1.8 (22/23) & 2.2 (21/22) tackles per 90.

Although Derby have only faced flat-back fours thus far, Coventry left-back Jay Dasilva made 6 tackles, attempting 7, West Brom left-back Callum Styles was successful in all 4 of his tackles & of course, to put a dampener on things, boring Aaron Cresswell made zero tackles from zero attempts.

Punts:

• Yu Hirakawa 3+ Tackles & Robert Atkinson 3+ Tackles @ 17.00 (16/1) - Bet365

• Yu Hirakawa 4+ Tackles & Robert Atkinson 4+ Tackles @ 67.00 (66/1) - Bet365

💰 Punt: Dayot Upamecano 4+ Tackles, 3+ Fouls Committed & To Be Booked
📗 Bookie: Bet365
🎲 Odds: 101.00 (100/1)
⚽️ Game: Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig

What I’d planned to be a very boring couple of paragraphs about Jonathan Tah 1+ foul & 2+ fouls committed singles at 5/6 & 9/2 has turned into his CB partner French Titus Bramble having another one of his disaster-classes. Prices went on Tah and a load of words got deleted. Cheers, punters crying. Both Tah and Upamecano committed 4 fouls each last weekend, which was probably a mixture of their rashness & the wizardry of Stuttgart’s gangly green giant up top.

I’m predicting Vincent Kompany will want his centre-back pairing to be aggressive to stop any potential RB Leipzig counter-attack, which will likely be the way the game pans out. The rapid Lois Openda (fouled 2.3 times per game in the Bundesliga last year) should cause some problems, as well as the pace of Antonio Nusa to deal with. The Ghost of Jean-Alain Boumsong should hopefully just kick them all (and tackle them a couple of times) and we’re on to a winner.

Punt: Dayot Upamecano 4+ Tackles, 3+ Fouls Committed & To Be Booked @ 101.00 (100/1)

What else can we lose money on? Joao Pedro is 35/1 to score from outside of the box vs. West Ham with SkyBet/Betfair/Paddy Power… Can’t be arsed explaining that one though!