Champions League Weary Teams Play East Home Games on Saturday

This was a busy week for the best European teams who have played important matches in the Champions League and Europa League. The reigning champions are lucky to play the weekend matches at home against teams that shouldn’t normally pose any serious threat. Fatigue and the injuries sustained by key players are the main concern on Saturday in matches played against defensive-minded opponents.

Fatigue Threatens Liverpool’s Invincibility

Liverpool is the only team in the English Premier League to have won all the matches played so far. They have a healthy advantage over the main rivals, but this could be in jeopardy because of the streak of difficult matches. The reigning Champions League winners were on the verge of splitting points after scoring three unanswered goals against Salzburg. In the end, they were able to win by the narrowest of margins but they are in for another difficult challenge against Leicester.

The visitors are in excellent form and will try to take advantage of the hosts’ fatigue and injury concerns. Leicester can field the best starting formation, so the odds of 6/1 offered by bet365 Sports hold value. By comparison, punters who bet on Liverpool will only be paid at 1/2 and a draw is priced at 7/2. After this match, Liverpool will play against Manchester United before returning to the Champions League action.

Even Odds on a Real Madrid and Valencia Combo

Spanish teams have enjoyed little success midweek, with Real Madrid dropping points at home against Brugge, while Valencia lost against Ajax. Both teams are well-positioned to make amends on Saturday, as they play against easy opponents in the afternoon. At 3 PM UK time Real Madrid plays against Granada and their victory is priced at 3/10 by 888 Sport.

Two and a half hours later, Valencia welcome Alaves and they are also credited with the first chance and slightly better odds of 3/5. There is tremendous pressure on the managers and players to win these matches to offset the damage caused by the Champions League failures. The visitors have a clear strategy for this match and both teams will travel with a defensive starting formation and a single striker.

Bayern and PSG to Cover the Spread

The German and French champions are back on track with victories in all competitions and they are likely to extend the winning streaks. Bayern play against Hoffenheim, while PSG welcome Angers in Paris and both of them are expected to crush opponents. Winner Sports offers odds of 3/10 on the Germans and 1/5 on the French champions, to win and much better value on them to cover the spread. Both of them should be able to win by two goals or more and an accumulator bet on these outcomes will bump the odds to 3/2.