Friday evening presents top European football clubs with an excellent opportunity to consolidate their lead in the domestic leagues. That’s because they play against teams struggling in the second half of the standings who are also mired in lengthy winless streaks. Only Hoffenheim have home pitch advantage, yet visiting teams are nonetheless expected to pick up easy points on the road.
Ligue 1 Leaders PSG Travel to Rock-Bottom Dijon
PSG already has a commanding lead over the rest of the French teams, but the reigning champions want to see it grow in November. The opening match played on the road against Dijon is the perfect chance to add three valuable points against the team sitting in the last place. PSG is likely to rest a couple of key players, in anticipation of the Champions League matches. The depth of their starting formation, as well as the sheer quality of its players, explains the odds of 1/4 offered by bet365 Sports on them to prevail.
Last-Placed Paderborn Brace for Siege at Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim is on the verge of returning to the first half of the Bundesliga tables after a disappointing season start. Playing at home against Paderborn should lead to a favorable outcome, as the visitors are yet to win a match on the road. The newly-promoted team has the worst defensive in the German first league while scoring few goals regardless of venue. Their strategy for this match is to defend for as long as it takes and hopefully walk away with a draw. Punters willing to back the hosts will benefit from odds of 1/2 at 888 Sport which is totally justified, while a bet on the visitors will produce odds of 5/1.
Ajax Try to Stay Invincible on the Road against Twente
Ajax is the uncontested leader of the Dutch first division after winning 9 out of the 11 games played so far. Three teams trail them by six points and if the reigning champions prevail in this match, the lead could prove to be insurmountable. Twente sit in the ninth place, but in spite of its decent placement and home pitch advantage, they are priced at 17/1 by Winner Sports. These are huge odds for a home win but there are strong reasons why Ajax only get odds of 3/20. The visitors are playing well regardless of venue and are anxious to solve matters in the Eredivisie, so they can focus on the Champions League campaign.