Expert Jury: Uefa risk ruining knockout ties with away-goal abolishment

We asked our top team of writers and a leading odds-compiler for their thoughts on this week's big talking points and this is how they answered...

What is your best football bet this weekend?

Racing Post's Chris Rivers: Taking in-form Southampton at odds against to beat dreadful travellers Everton at home is too good an opportunity to pass up. The Saints have been rock solid at St Mary’s all season, losing only once, and I’m not ready to trust Frank Lampard’s new charges to get much on the road given how shaky they’ve been defensively.

Racing Post's Joe Casey: Aston Villa will be looking to put in a much improved performance after two poor results following the break. They should be able to do that against a Watford side who have not looked much better under Roy Hodgson than they did under Claudio Ranieri. I fancy Villa and over 2.5 goals. The Hornets have taken two points from their last 33 available and the home side won’t get many easier assignments this year.

Racing Post's Warren Ashurst: Wolves to beat Leicester. These teams met on the opening weekend of the season, when Leicester won 1-0 at the King Power Stadium. Wolves were unlucky to lose that day and are a much different side six months on, as are Leicester. The Foxes haven’t kept a Premier League clean sheet on the road for over a year and seem no closer to resolving their defensive issues, with Jonny Evans still sidelined. Meanwhile, Wolves have lost one of their last seven Premier League games and have secured four wins in their last five.

William Hill's Mike North: Liverpool should have no problems brushing aside Norwich on Saturday with plenty of goals for the home side expected. Liverpool to win both halves at 21-20 seems a solid bet.

Who are the most vulnerable favourites?

Chris Rivers: Sacking Valerien Ismael has done little to improve West Brom’s fortune as they remain on the slide, losing three of the last four and failing to score in seven of the last nine. Life is unlikely to get any easier for the Baggies at Luton, who could go above their opponents with a fourth win in the last six at home.

Joe Casey: Southampton have played well in recent weeks but I’m not sure about them at almost even money when they face Everton. The Saints have won only three of their 11 home league games this season and were taken to extra time in the FA Cup by Championship side Coventry in their last game at St Mary's.

Warren Ashurst: I think Burnley are a massive price to win at Brighton, with the Clarets performing better than recent results suggest. Sean Dyche’s men have faced Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool in three of their last four league games and are back to full strength. Burnley are unbeaten in four Premier League visits to the Amex, while the hosts have won just one of their last eight home games.

Mike North: Southampton. Ralph Hasenhuttl has done an exceptional job with the Saints since taking over, making them a tough team to beat. However, they’ve still managed only six wins this season so a revitalised Everton under Frank Lampard could take the three points. The Toffees to win or draw on the double chance looks tempting.

Will Antonio Conte be successful at Spurs?

Chris Rivers: Given the right kind of support, there’s no doubt Antonio Conte can improve Spurs’ fortunes. However, the size of the task at hand has clearly dawned on the Italian and it's questionable whether he can change his mindset to stick at a long-term project. Daniel Levy’s powers of persuasion could be stretched to their limit convincing both Conte and Harry Kane to stay.

Joe Casey:That depends on the definition of success. The Italian should be able to mould a team who can consistently challenge for the top four and go on cup runs but the gap between Spurs and the top three is probably too great to breach without a significant drop-off from Liverpool, Man City or Chelsea.

Warren Ashurst: It all depends on the Tottenham owner and whether he is willing to back the manager with the funds needed to rebuild. If Daniel Levy is willing, there is every reason to believe Conte can be a success. He’s not the type of manager to shirk a challenge but you can only work with what you’ve got and no manager could lead Spurs to major trophies with their current squad.

Mike North: It’s hard to gauge what success should look like for Tottenham, a team who have finished seventh and sixth in the last couple of seasons but who have also competed in a Champions League final in recent years. Will they be title contenders? Probably not. Will Conte lead them deep into tournaments and compete for a top-four spot? Yes.

Are Uefa right to scrap the away-goal rule?

Chris Rivers: The away-goal rule was antiquated and a change of some kind was needed but I can’t help think European knockout ties have now lost an element of jeopardy that made them so special. And who does the move benefit? Uefa say the rule had become unfair but its removal will surely lead to more ties being decided by the lottery of penalties.

Joe Casey: No. It added an extra dimension to the knockout stages and will encourage more of the defensive tactics that Real Madrid employed against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. Many of the most exciting European ties have been decided by the rule and some of that jeopardy has gone.

Warren Ashurst: No. This decision favours the big European sides, who can now play with less fear at home without the worry of losing an away goal to a team playing on the break. The original rule was brought in to stop teams shutting up shop and I didn’t see any reason to change.

Mike North: In the eyes of fairness, yes. There has always been a sense of injustice to the teams that have fallen victim to the away-goal rule. But on the other hand, I’d rather see a team win a tie within 180 minutes than see the lottery of a penalty shootout.

Give us a winner on the midweek coupon

Chris Rivers: Oxford won 6-0 the last time they visited Crewe and while the margin of victory might not be so big when they return on Tuesday, the outcome could be the same. Crewe find themselves in a real rut, while they’ve struggled to pick up points at home all season. Oxford need to be winning games against League One’s strugglers to stay in the playoff hunt and are capable of doing just that.

Joe Casey: Middlesbrough look a Championship team to watch under Chris Wilder and their home record ranks up there with some of the best in the division. Boro should get the better of a toothless looking West Brom side who haven’t improved for the arrival of Steve Bruce.

Warren Ashurst: Sheffield United look a good bet at around evens to beat Blackburn at Bramall Lane on Wednesday night. Before the weekend the Blades are unbeaten in five on home soil and have not conceded a goal during that run. Blackburn’s automatic promotion hopes are on the slide and they head to South Yorkshire having failed to win any of their last four on the road.

Mike North: Napoli to beat Barcelona. With key players coming back from injury, Napoli are getting back to the form they showed in the early part of the season. They should have too much for a young, inexperienced Barcelona side.

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