European Football Has Title Deciding Derbies This Weekend
Published December 22, 2017 by Florin P
Christmas comes early for football fans as some of the biggest derbies in European football take place on Saturday, December 23.
European football fans don’t have to wait until Christmas to unwrap their presents because the hottest football games are scheduled for Saturday. In every important continental competition there is at least a high-profile derby and bookmakers have ample coverage of these events. 10bet Sportsbook and 888 Sport offer tempting odds to those who don’t mind betting on these action-packed football matches.
Real Madrid is Favorite in El Clasico
Barcelona is comfortably leading the Spanish first division, with eight points ahead of its biggest rival. However, it is Atletico Madrid and Valencia that have remained within striking distance and challenge the leader. Even so, the most anticipated match of the season is the El Clasico and the first leg takes place in the nation’s capital with Real Madrid as host team. 10bet Sportsbook offers odds of 11/10 on the home side to win, while Barcelona is priced at 12/5 by the same bookmaker.
Real Madrid has won the last two head to head games, but in recent years home pitch wasn’t an advantage as expected. Elsewhere, Valencia plays at home against Villarreal and hopes to take advantage of the visitors’ injury concerns. Atletico Madrid is well-positioned to take advantage of any false steps committed by Barcelona. That’s because they will play on the road against Espanyol, a team in terrible form that was unable to cause them problems in recent past.
Four Teams Playing for the Trophy in Italy
The race has never been so intense in the Italian first division, at least not for a decade. The reigning champions play against AS Roma at home and 888 Sport offers odds of 4/5 on their victory. Recent games were far from satisfying, yet Juventus continues to play well against the top Italian teams. They also have a solid head to head record against their current opponents. This explains why punters willing to bet on the visitors can expect odds as high as 7/2 on their victory.
Inter Milan is not expected to fail on the road against struggling Sassuolo and Napoli is also likely to pick up all three points at home with Sampdoria. Lazio is trailing the leading pack at a distance, but could close the gap with what looks like an easy victory over Crotone. A very exciting game, although not a Derby is the one between AC Milan and neighboring Atalanta. The two teams have the same number of points and the proximity between the two cities makes this game worth watching.
The Weekend Starts Early in the Premier League
All but one game are scheduled for Saturday, however it is the Friday fixture that looks the most promising. That’s because Arsenal and Liverpool play against each other on that day and 888 Sport offers identical odds of 17/10 on each team to win. The draw is also an unlikely result, in a game that could well produce a high number of goals. Although both teams trail the leaders by almost 20 points and have no chance to win the title, this Derby in London shows a lot of promise.
Manchester City is expected to crush Bournemouth at home, while their city rivals are also credited with the first chance against Leicester. Odds of 7/10 are available at 10bet Sportsbook for those willing to bet on the Red Devils on the road. Chelsea has a rather difficult match away from home at Everton and the same can be said about Tottenham who play against Burnley. The hosts have a shockingly good home record and have conceded the fewest goals in front of their fans among all Premier League teams in the second half of the tables.