Over 2.5 Goals Tips: Black Cats, Foxes and Eagles feature in Saturday’s 6/1 four-fold

Australia and England let us down in last weekend's over 2.5 goals tips column, with only the USA providing the goods later in the day.

Undeterred, I return with this Saturday's Over 2.5 Goals Tips, beginning in England before broadening our horizons into the USA and, finally, Portugal...

Over 2.5 Goals in Sunderland vs Queens Park Rangers (12:30) @ 1/1

Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland are joint-fourth and joint-10th, respectively, in the Championship over 2.5 goals table, with 53% of the Hoops' games and 44% of the Black Cats' encounters ending with at least three strikes.

The goals have really dried up for Sunderland since mid-March, with Regis Le Bris' side scoring just three times across their last eight matches, and six of those have gone under 2.5 goals.

However, given they cannot move up or down from their current standing of fourth, and on Saturday, are at home to QPR, who are safe from relegation but cannot finish in the top half.

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The Hoops' last three games have gone over 2.5 goals, and last Saturday, they were thrashed 5-0 at home by Burnley. They've since placed head coach Marti Cifuentes, linked to a rival Championship club, on gardening leave, and they look well and truly 'on the beach' ahead of their trip to Wearside.

Some of Sunderland's fringe players could get a run out this weekend as they look to impress ahead of the play-offs, and that should mean the hosts are well motivated, while it's a free hit for the visitors, who will look to end the campaign by avoiding a third consecutive defeat.

Over 2.5 Goals in Leicester vs Southampton (15:00) @ 4/5

Southampton (25) and Leicester City (27) are the lowest and second-lowest scorers, respectively, in this season's Premier League, but there are several reasons to believe that the goals will flow in their fixture at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

First of all, they are the worst defensive sides, with only the Saints (80) shipping more goals than the Foxes (76) in the 2024/25 top flight. As a result, both clubs have seen 65% of their league games this term finish with at least three strikes, ranking them joint-sixth in that particular table.

October's reverse fixture at St. Mary's Stadium was a cracker, too, with five goals scored on the South Coast. Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo put the hosts into a two-goal lead by the 28th minute, but Facundo Buonanotte pulled one back in the 64th minute, and further efforts from Jamie Vardy and Jordan Ayew saw the visitors turn the game around and take the three points back to Leicester.

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It's been a dismal season for both on their return to the Premier League, with Southampton's relegation confirmed on April 6 and Leicester's just two weeks later.

With the pressure now off, to an extent, Saints have looked slightly improved in recent weeks, drawing 1-1 at West Ham United before going a goal up against Fulham and only losing 2-1 following an injury-time winner from Ryan Sessegnon.

Leicester's first game post-relegation confirmation didn't go well as they were well beaten 3-0 at Wolves last Saturday, but they did have the chance to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute, only for Vardy to fluff his lines from the penalty spot.

They will fancy their chances of an improved showing at home to Southampton this weekend, though, and will be targeting a first victory since January 26.

There's nothing for either side to lose on Saturday, really, so I'm hopeful we will see an entertaining contest at the King Power, with as many goals as we saw at St. Mary's earlier in the season.

Three will do, though.

Over 2.5 Goals in Atlanta United vs Nashville (19:45, Apple TV) @ 4/7

The USA came up clutch for us last weekend as Cincinnati beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1, and I'm heading to Major League Soccer again for this Saturday's over 2.5 goals tips column.

Atlanta United host Nashville at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, looking to arrest an alarming slump in form that has seen the Five Stripes lose their last three games without scoring. They were beaten 1-0 at home by the New England Revolution on April 12 before suffering back-to-back 3-0 defeats away at the Philadelphia Union and Orlando City.

Sixty per cent (6/10) of United's games this season have gone over 2.5 goals, including five of their last seven.

Nashville, meanwhile, have seen 70% (7/10) of their matches this year go over 2.5. Their first three all saw two or fewer strikes, but their last seven have produced at least three goals, and their most recent saw a mammoth nine as they blitzed Chicago Fire 7-2 at Geodis Park.

Sam Surridge scored four times for Nashville last weekend, while Hany Mukhtar bagged a brace, so along with Atlanta's Miguel Almiron and Aleksey Miranchuk, there should be a lot of attacking firepower on display at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Over 2.5 Goals in Estoril vs Benfica (20:30) @ 4/11

There are just three rounds of fixtures remaining in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, but the destination of this season's title is still unknown, with Lisbon rivals Sporting and Benfica locked on 75 points. It's in Sporting's hands, though, as they boast the superior head-to-head record, so Benfica need to keep winning and hope their neighbours slip up at least once in their remaining games.

Benfica, though, need to focus first on getting the job done against Estoril at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra do Mota on Saturday.

Estoril are primed for a top-half finish and will take confidence from their 3-1 success at Casa Pia on Tuesday, although they will be aware that Benfica pose an entirely different threat this weekend.

Both league meetings in 2024 produced over 2.5 goals, with Benfica winning 3-1 at the Estadio da Luz in March and following up with another home victory against Estoril in December (3-0).

Benfica, alongside Sporting, top the Primeira Liga over 2.5 goals table, with 71% (22/31) of their matches ending with at least three goals, including their last nine.

Estoril, meanwhile, are next up in the table, with 67% (20/31) of their league games going over 2.5 goals, including four of their last five, so I'm hopeful of at least three on Saturday.

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