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Martin Laurence previews the £10,000 Pick 8

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Fiorentina vs Bologna – 1

After a woeful start to the season Fiorentina pulled a 5-0 thrashing of Verona seemingly from thin air last weekend and the mood in the camp will have improved dramatically. With another very winnable home game against Bologna up next, they’ll be confident of back-to-back wins and a first in front of their home fans. The visitors have had a solid start but were well beaten in their first real test of the campaign against Napoli and should suffer a similar fate come Saturday evening.

Guingamp vs Lille – 1 / X / 2

Despite a very busy summer in the transfer market, pulling off some signings that were the envy of many in France, Lille’s start to life under Marcelo Bielsa has been stuttering to say the least. The visitors sit four places but just one point below Guingamp, whose results have been predictable thus far, losing to PSG, Lyon and Nice but beating Metz and Strasbourg. This game is far tougher to call, however, with one win apiece in their last five meetings, so I’m covering all three outcomes.

Dijon vs St Etienne – 2

Saint-Etienne’s trip to Dijon looks a more straightforward affair. Les Verts may have hit a slight stumbling block after three consecutive wins but their solitary defeat came at the hands of a PSG side in frightening form. The hosts, meanwhile, have won just once against lowly Montpellier and have an awful record in this fixture, so an away win should be a safe bet.

Troyes vs Montpellier – 1 / X / 2

Far tougher to call, these two sides are both likely to be in for a long season that may well culminate in a relegation battle. When facing potential rivals at the foot of the table the need for points becomes greater no matter what stage of the season so both will be aiming for their second victories of the campaign but could conceivably cancel each other out, as has been the case in three of their last four meetings.

Alaves vs Villarreal – 1 / 2

It’s been a tough start to life after Mauricio Pellegrino for Alaves, who foot La Liga after three consecutive defeats. They remain an organised side, however, conceding just four times across those games, with a lack of goal threat the real problem. They host a Villarreal side that had a poor start themselves, losing back-to-back games on the road without finding the net themselves before a return to the Madrigal. Alaves did the double over The Yellow Submarine last season but should expect a response. I don’t see either side playing out their first draw this weekend.

Chelsea vs Arsenal – 1

Although Arsenal dropped down to the Europa League courtesy of a fifth placed finish last season, they actually had a harder European fixture than Chelsea, coming two days later to boot. Both sides rested key attackers in midweek but it’s the Blues that, after a shock defeat on the opening day, will enter the game as strong favourites, and deservedly so. Conte’s men have looked back to something approaching their best and will now welcome back Eden Hazard, who lit up this fixture last season. It’s all very poor timing from The Gunners point of view.

Rennes vs Nice – 1 / X / 2

It’s been an odd start to the season for Nice, who followed a 3-0 defeat to Amiens with a 4-0 thrashing of Champions Monaco. The Eaglets also played away from home in the Europa League on Thursday, so Rennes will see this as a good time to face Favre’s men, off the back of an impressive win of their own at Marseille. Both teams have decent firepower but have been leaky at the back, so this is too tricky to predict.

Chievo vs Atalanta – 2

A tough game to end the ticket, Atalanta’s modest points haul is masked by defeats to Roma and Napoli but they proved against Everton on Thursday just what a quality side they are. Chievo, however, are no mugs themselves but do the lack the quality, particularly in attack, of the Bergamo outfit. The visitors have won the last three meetings between the two and should make it four on Sunday.

Martin is the content manager for WhoScored.com

You can follow more of his tips on Twitter @WSTipster