2017 Ends with Italian, English and Scottish Football Derbies
Published December 29, 2017 by Florin P
The last football matches of 2017, fill up Serie A and Premier League stadiums as several derbies are scheduled across Europe.
2017 has been an extraordinary year for football fans, but even the best things come to an end. In the final weekend a couple of high profile games are scheduled in three of the leading European championships. Serie A is the most contested, with three teams still in the mix for the title and many more competing for a Champions League berth. In the English and Scottish Premier League, Manchester City at Celtic have virtually secured another title win, but they still play some high profile matches in late December.
Critical Matches in Serie A
Juventus won three valuable points against AS Roma last weekend and extended the gap separating it from the team in the third-place. Now they need to secure what looks like an easy victory over Verona on the road to stay within striking distance of Napoli. They play on Saturday, one day after their rivals have concluded the match on the road against Crotone. Both teams are overwhelming favorite to win their fixtures and 10bet Sportsbook gives them odds of 3/10 to prevail on the road.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan has suffered a shocking defeat over the weekend and it is now in desperate need of victory against Lazio. They have home pitch advantage and a stellar record in front of their fans, but their opponents are in good form and also highly motivated. The team from the nation’s capital is too far behind to even hope to win the Serie A, but a Champions League berth is well within their reach. 888 Sport has odds of 11/10 on Inter Milan to win and a spectacular 11/5 on Lazio to prevail.
All Eyes on the Champions League Groups
In the English Premier League Manchester City has such a big lead that it is virtually the winner of this season. However, there are still plenty of reasons for the other top teams to keep fighting, in the remaining days of 2017. Liverpool and Manchester United play at home against Leicester and Southampton and both are big favorite to prevail. The odds on their victory don’t exceed 2/5 at 10bet Sportsbook and Chelsea is even heavier favorite at 3/10 with the same bookie.
Manchester City is also expected to pick up three points on the road against Crystal Palace on December 31. Punters can take advantage of even odds by betting on them to cover the -1.5 Asian handicap against the team threatened by relegation. Arsenal is the last team to play in the English first division this year, as it travels to West Bromwich. The Gunners have a mediocre performance on the road, but they can no longer settle for draws if they want to play in the Champions League next year.
The Only Match that Matters in Scotland
Celtic has won the Premier League in every single year since their archrivals were relegated to the lower division. They already have a significant advantage over Aberdeen, which was expanded over the weekend. Now they welcome Rangers and Celtic Park in a match they are desperate to win despite the comfortable cushion. This match is arguably the most important in Scottish football and with Celtic having home pitch advantage, it comes as no surprise that they are big favorites.
888 Sport offers odds of only 2/5 on the home side to prevail, despite the magnitude of this match. That’s because the hosts are at full strength, play in front of their fans and haven’t lost against their rivals since 2012. Betting on the visitors to prevail will result in odds of 7/1 and there’s plenty of value in them covering the Asian handicap. The odds on Rangers not losing by two goals or more are 11/10.
