Arsenal v Benfica –
The Emirates Cup’s unorthodox rules – with teams awarded a point every time that they score – means it is always good for goals.
Arsenal scored six against Lyon on the opening day when the tournament was last played in 2015, and five in their first game against Benfica the year before.
The Gunners have only failed to score in two Emirates Cup games since the tournament’s conception in 2007, and should find the net against a Benfica side that have conceded against Young Boys, Real Betis and Hull in the past few weeks.
Arsene Wenger’s tendency to chop and change his defence in these games means the Portuguese champions – who scored score more goals than any other side in the league last season – should also get on the scoresheet.
Manchester City v Tottenham –
Spurs opened their International Champions Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over PSG last Sunday before losing 3-2 to Roma three days later.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been playing open, attacking football throughout the pre-season, and that can only be good for BTTS backers.
Speaking of open, attacking sides, Manchester City beat Real Madrid 4-1 on Thursday after losing 2-0 to Manchester United in their first ICC game.
That derby result will surely be an anomaly. Their attacking talent means they will surely score against this surprisingly leaky-looking Spurs defence.
Toronto FC v New York City
New York City are one of the world’s most reliable BTTS sides, with both teams scoring in 16 of their 21 MLS games this season – the highest proportion in the league.
They have scored two goals or more in each of their last six games, and have conceded seven in their last four with no clean sheets.
Toronto, meanwhile, have had four BTTS games in a row, and have scored in each of their last nine MLS games at home.
These teams drew 2-2 when they met in New York last week, and a similar result looks likely this weekend.
FC Dallas v Vancouver Whitecaps –
Both teams have scored in each of Dallas’ last five MLS games, and they boast the league’s sixth-highest BTTS ratio with 12 games out of 19.
They have found the net 13 times in their last three home games and let in five in that period.
Given that Vancouver have only kept one clean sheet in their last eight games, the hosts will surely get on the scoresheet again this weekend.
The Whitecaps have scored in six of their last seven league fixtures, though, so goals look likely at both ends of the pitch.
Guangzhou R&F v Guagzhou Evergrande
The Guangzhou derby has the potential to be one of the weekend’s most exciting games.
R&F are averaging three goals per game across their last six fixtures, including a 6-2 home win over Yanbian Funde last time out and a 4-2 win over their Guangzhou rivals.
They’ve also failed to keep a clean sheet in six, having conceded four at home to Chongqing Dangdai Lifan.
Considering that league-leading Evergrande are China’s second-highest scorers and have also kept no clean sheets in five, a high-scoring game looks a certainty.
Insider knowledge
Who won the last Emirates Cup?
Arsenal won the Emirates Cup when it was last held in 2015 – the fourth time they have lifted the trophy.
The tournament did not take place in the summer of 2016, due to the late finish of Euro 2016 and the relaying of the Emirates Stadium pitch.
