Round 1 of Matchday Matrix concluded yesterday evening and so we go straight into Round 2.
Remember - If you fail to lock in your predictions for a round then you are out of the contest!
This contest rewards both football knowledge and participation. The earliest of the 5 games we've got for you today starts at 5pm (BST) so you've got 10 hours from this post being published to lock your picks in!
If you've not yet joined but would like to then the contest does remain open and you're very welcome to take part here.
Arsenal v Fulham
1-0 to the Arsenal? Well that would rule out a few outcomes!
BTTS is 1.91 in this one reflecting Arsenal's strong defence and the fact that Fulham haven't scored away from home since February!
Over 2.5 goals has odds of 1.75 which seems on the short side to me. There haven't been more than 3 goals in any of Arsenal's last 14 matches in all competitions and 9 of those games have finished under 2.5 goals.
If Arsenal do get the win and take the league title then it's going to be through the kind of stogy performances we've become accustomed to under Arteta.
Set-pieces, including of course corners, might well be the biggest threat that Arsenal possess in this match so naturally they might play for them! They have the 3rd highest number of corners for in the league this season but on the flip side they have conceded the fewest which means that only 44% of their games finish with 10.5+ corners, pretty much bang on the league average of 43%.
Arsenal's last 3 league matches have all produced 4 yellow cards while Fulham have passed the 3.5 mark in 1 of their last 3 games. Having to surrender some possession in this match might make them more inclined to kick a few people.
Alaves v Athletic Club
We return to La Liga and another fixture involving clubs in that log jam of a table. 10 points separate Getafe in 6th, a finish guaranteed to get into Europe and Seville in 18th, currently facing relegation.
Remember that La Liga still has 5 rounds of fixtures to play so there are a whole heap of teams, these 2 included who could shoot into contention for a European place if they finish strongly or get relegated if they don't!
Neither of these sides is prolific in front of goal with 38 and 36 goals this season. Odds therefore on over 2.5 are evens.
However, Alaves' last 7 matches have seen both teams score while Bilbao's defensive record is similarly weak. They've kept just 1 clean sheet since the turn of the year, that's 22 matches! BTTS at 1.75 then is perhaps not a bad shout.
The draw at 3.3 isn't too bad an option. Alaves in particular have played out stalemates in 5 of their last 10 matches. Bilbao on the other hand have just 5 draws all season.
3 of Bilbao's 4 matches in April comfortably finished over 3.5 yellows while Alaves had 1 particularly heated fixture against Sociedad recently. This is of course a Basque Country derby so there may well be value in the cards market!
On the corner side of things, Alves are delivering on average 5.06 and Bilbao 5.53 corners for per match making the 10.5 market looking like even money again.
Bayer Leverkusen v RB Leipzig
Both teams come into this match off the back of some decent form and with the promise of Champions League football next season.
It's a massive round of fixtures in Germany with this one 6th v 3rd and then Stuttgart and Hoffenheim (4th v 5th) also taking place. The sides that come out of the end of it with wins will be in the drivers' seat for a top 4 finish.
This fixture offers some really short odds on BTTS at around 1.36 while over 2.5 goals is similarly priced at 1.35. The free scoring Bundesliga might be a good bet for your multiplier in round 2!
With 2 evenly matched sides, the draw at 3.8 might seem well priced but recent history suggests these 2 are likely to play for the win!
You'd think that for sides that play on the front foot, they'd generate above average corners but that is not the case. Both these teams have very similar corner stats with only 35% of their games producing 10.5+ corners.
Between them these 2 played 7 times in April and only 2 of those matches finished with 3.5 yellow cards. There is plenty riding on this game so perhaps a few meaty challenges will be going in but otherwise better value looks to be available in other markets.
Como v Napoli
With Serie A all but decided, both these teams are playing for Champions League qualification. If Napoli win this game and other results go their way then they will have reached Europe's elite.
Given these are 2 evenly matched sides, odds of a draw are lower than many of the other options at 3.0 and in fact the last 2 games between these sides have finished as a stalemate.
As tends to be the case with Serie A, chances of a goal fest are lower than elsewhere. BTTS is 1.85 and over 2.5 goals is 2.15. 4 of Napoli's last 5 matches have finished with a scoreline to nil.
Recent Como matches (where they've not been playing well) have seen a lot of yellow cards! The month of April alone saw 25 yellows in their 4 x Serie A matches.
Como matches have by far the lowest number of corners in Serie A with a match average of 7.35 this season. Only 15% of their games have finished with over 10.5 corners in 25/26.
Ajax v PSV
Last but not least we have 'De Topper' between 2 of the giants of Dutch football.
PSV have already claimed the title so this for them is more a chance to rub salt in the wounds and scupper Ajax's chances of a Champions League place.
The 4 times European Cup winners are currently in 4th place and 4 points behind Feyenoord who themselves don't play until tomorrow. This then is a chance for more than just bragging rights as far as Ajax are concerned.
Only 1 of PSV's last 23 matches in all competitions has finished with under 2.5 goals. That single game was a recent 2-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam which incidentally is the only clean sheet they've kept in their last 12 matches. As such it's no surprise that over 2.5 goals and BTTS can be found for odds as short as 1.35.
The draw is out at 3.8 but that is the result that these 2 delivered when they met earlier in the season (2-2).
That game also saw 7 yellow cards and perhaps unsurprisingly, 3 of the last 4 games between these 2 rivals have finished with over 3.5 yellows.
Unsurprisingly, PSV's dominance of the league and individual matches sees them generating more corner opportunities than anyone else. They average 7.23 corners for per match and a match total average of 11.32 with two thirds of their games finishing over the 10.5 mark.
Matchday Matrix Standings
| Place | Account | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 6 |
| 2 |  | 6 |
| 3 |  | 5 |
| 4 |  | 5 |
| 5 |  | 4 |
| 6 |  | 4 |
| 7 |  | 4 |
| 8 |  | 4 |
| 9 |  | 4 |
| 10 |  | 3 |
| 11 |  | 3 |
| 12 |  | 3 |
| 13 |  | 2 |
No one managed a perfect score in Round 1 but
Remember you are eliminated if you don't make a prediction in any of the 10 rounds.
Round 2 selections are available and you have until 5pm BST to lock them in or you're out!