With no Champions League and Europa League group matches scheduled for this week, the best European teams can focus on their domestic championships. There are a couple of high profile matches scheduled this weekend in all major leagues, some with the potential of influencing the title race.
Manchester United and Tottenham Fight for the Second Place
Manchester City has five points ahead of the runners up and play an easy match on the road against West Bromwich. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Arsenal could close the gap separating them from the podium, as they also take on easier opponents. This means that Manchester United and Tottenham are in dire need of points when the two teams meet at Old Trafford in the Derby of this round in the Premier League.
10bet Sportsbook offers odds of 11/10 on the hosts to prevail, which is quite tempting given their flawless home record. Manchester United has won all four games at home and is yet to concede a goal, but they take on a tough opponent. Tottenham has also prevailed in all four fixtures played on the road and they allowed just two goals over the span. A double chance wager on them is priced at 9/10 by 888 Sport.
A Golden Opportunity for Real Madrid
Barcelona is head and shoulders ahead of the pack and has five points more than its bitter rivals. For Real Madrid, it is essential to close the gap as soon as possible and opportunity might present itself over the weekend. That’s because the leaders travel to Bilbao for a match against Athletic and they have always had a hard time playing gainst the Basques on the road.
Odds of 7/10 on Bilbao not to lose by two goals or more make perfect sense under these circumstances and that’s how much 10bet Sportsbook offers on this fixture. Meanwhile, punters who would rather play it safe and trust Barcelona to win on the road can do so at odds of 5/10 at 888 Sport. Meanwhile, Real Madrid has an easy fixture and their city rivals Atletico Madrid have an easier mission in front of their fans. In-form Valencia is also favorite to defeat Alaves on the road after a string of impressive victories.
The First Bundesliga Derby
Leipzig took everyone by surprise last year when the team promoted from the second division and took the Bundesliga by storm. They enjoy a quality start once again and sit in the third-place ahead of the highly anticipated match against Bayern Munich. This time they don’t have home pitch advantage and that’s why punters can expect odds as high as 3/1 at 10bet Sportsbook on them not to lose on the road.
However, the more likely scenario is for the home side to win with relative ease and even cover the -1.5 goals handicap. This outcome is priced at 9/10 by the same bookmaker as well as 888 Sport. Elsewhere, Dortmund has an easy fixture away from home and resurgent Schalke 04 is also expected to win at home. After picking their first points in a long while, Koln hope to turn the tide in their favor and cause another upset in Leverkusen.
Easy Mission for Ligue 1 and Serie A Leaders
Despite their recent struggles, PSG are still leading the French first division and are likely to do so after this weekend. That’s because they play an easy match at home on Friday, while their opponents have all more difficult encounters. Even if Monaco manages to win all three points on the road against Bordeaux, they will still be trailing the leader. A more likely scenario is for PSG to consolidate its advantage.
In Italy, Napoli has an easy match at home against Sassuolo and the same can be said about the two teams from the nation’s capital. Lazio plays on the road against a newly promoted team, whereas AS Roma welcomes Bologna in front of its fans. The only interesting match of the weekend is the one between AC Milan against Juventus, with the reigning champions playing on the road.