Football Derbies Provide Punters with All the Excitement They Need Mid-December

Most of the major sports are in recess, football marches on, and for punters, this is the gift that keeps on giving mid-December. The action runs uninterruptedly worldwide, but the most exciting matches scheduled this weekend happen on European soil. Top-tier teams compete in highly anticipated derbies from England to France and Italy. The stakes are as high as they get, as the winners will likely secure a place at the top of the standings as the midseason comes to an end a few days from now.

Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa Chase 1st Place in the Premier League

Arsenal lost their place at the top of the standings after a string of disappointing results, but they can’t return there on Sunday. Brighton is not an easy opponent, but the visitors are facing their own poor string of results, and this is an opportunity for the Gunners. Key players were rested midweek in the Europa League, and Arsenal can field a competitive starting formation. Hence the odds of 1/2 on them winning.

Liverpool are the fresh new leaders of the Premier League, but in order to consolidate their lead, they must defeat Manchester United. Under normal circumstances, this would be a daunting task, but the Red Devils are in awful form. Odds of 3/10 offered by bet365 sports are on the low end, but they fully reflect the difference between the two sides. By contrast, punters enjoy spectacular odds of 7/1 on the visitors.

Aston Villa is the revelation of the season, and a victory away at Brentford can propel them all the way to the first place. The hosts have several players missing ahead of this fixture, so the odds of 11/10 offered by the same bookmaker are fully justified. Expect a game with many corner kicks, as Unai Emery has a reputation for pushing all his squads through the outer edges of the field.

Lille and Marseille Rely on Home Pitch Advantage for Crucial Points

Lille and Marseille are separated by many points and the thing in common is that none are within striking distance of pole position. If they find a way of winning on Sunday afternoon, they will make important progress and the latter are in a better position since they face Clermont. They are undefeated at home, while the visitors struggle on the road, so punters can only expect odds of 9/20 at 1xBet on Marseille.

Lille and PSG play the derby of this Ligue 1 round, so the match is scheduled for Sunday at 7:45 PM UK time. Lille is a fortress at home, with a single defeat in several rounds, so they can take advantage of the PSG’s busy schedule in recent weeks. Punters can expect amazing odds of 3/1 on the hosts to win, although we fancy the double chance wager, which offers even odds at the same bookmaker.

Inter Milano Strives to Keep Challengers at a Safe Distance

AS Roma and Bologna are tied for fourth place with 25 points, and the direct match's outcome can decide their chances to qualify for the Champions League in 2024. Bologna has a home-court advantage in this match, so they are credited with the first chance and odds of 11/10 by Bet365 Sports. AS Roma has key players missing, and the squad is tired after midweek’s Europa League, hence the odds of 2/1.

Inter Milano is showing no signs of slowing down and is undefeated in the last 14 games in all competitions. They need to maintain the tempo to stay safe from runners-up Juventus, but they will face a strong opponent in Rome. Lazio’s own undefeated run ended midweek, and we expect them to falter once again, so the otherwise average odds of 7/10 on the visitors are acceptable.

Disclaimer:

The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour the article was written, respectively, on Friday, December 15 at 1 P.M. UK time.