European Football: Five Betting Pointers from September 20/21

Clean sheets + Tevez's goals = flying start for Juve

After successfully predicting Hamburg's unlikely point against Bayern Munich, allow Louis Massarella to tempt you with more hidden gems from Europe's big leagues, where there's also a full midweek programme this week...

1. Shinji Okazaki to top Bundesliga scoring charts

With a goal every other game since joining Mainz last season and four in as many games already in this league campaign (plus two more in other competitions), Shinji Okazaki looks excellent outside bet in the Bundesliga Top Goalscorer market at 15.014/1 on the Betfair Sportsbook, especially given red-hot favourite Robert Lewandowski (2.75n/a) is taking time to settle in at Bayern Munich, with just one goal so far for this new club.

2. The Old Lady to keep a clean sheet

Juventus have yet to concede a goal this season - winning all four games so far - and don't expect that to change when they host newly-promoted Cesena on Wednesday night. Even at the short odds of 1.528/15 for a Juventus Clean Sheet, your money should be safe.

3. St Etienne v Bordeaux to provide goals

It's a big week for St Etienne, who face Bordeaux on Thursday and Marseille on Sunday with all three teams locked on 13 points at the top of Ligue Un. Les Verts' fine start has been built largely on a miserly defence, but the one time they were tested, against PSG, they lost 5-0. With Bordeaux and Marseille in free-scoring mood but a little susceptible at the back, two end-to-end thrillers could be on the cards. 4.57/2 for there to be more Over 3.5 Goals in the first of the week's table-topping clashes looks value.

4. Granada to keep Barcelona at bay... for a while, at least

Played four, won four, scored 11, conceded 0. The stats suggest Barcelona are back to somewhere near their best. But it took them 34 minutes to break the deadlock against Levante the weekend just gone, and their other four goals only came after the hosts had a man sent off. Expect surprise package Granada - unbeaten so far - to make Luis Enrique's men work hard for their victory, with a draw at half-time tempting at 4.03/1.

5. Schalke to beat Dortmund

Does form really go out of the window in a derby? We'll find out on Saturday when Schalke host Dortmund in the Ruhr. The home side are third from bottom, with just two points, although a draw against Chelsea in the Champions League suggests they are capable of raising their game. Odds of 3.55/2 in a two-horse race are too good to turn down, particularly with Dortmund also in patchy form - an impressive win against Arsenal aside.