Home Pitch Advantage for the Big Guns of European Leagues on Saturday
Published September 19, 2020 by Florin P
English, Portuguese and German teams try to take advantage of the home games to take an early lead in the competitive European football leagues.
Saturday is once again the day with the most matches scheduled in the top European football leagues. There are games to be played in England, Germany and France, but also the Portuguese first division. In all these top championships the former winners and reigning champions will enjoy home pitch advantage, although they play on empty stadiums.
Manchester United Welcome Crystal Palace at Old Trafford
Manchester United played the first match this season against Crystal Palace and the hosts will settle for nothing less than a comprehensive victory. They were fairly successful against this opponent in the past, but this time they play without fans cheering from them from the stands. Even so, bet365 Sports gives them the first chance and odds of 3/10 to prevail at home, as opposed to 8/1 on the visitors. There are no injury concerns on either side, so both teams can feel the most competitive starting formation.
Arsenal Greets West Ham in a Derby of London
Arsenal is on a winning streak having won the last six matches and has a good chance to add the seventh consecutive win. Home pitch advantage and the absence of injured or suspended players position them way ahead of West Ham. This is reflected by the odds of 1/2 offered by bet365 Sports on what is expected to be an easy home win. In this lower tier London Derby, West Ham have low expectations and they will aim for a draw, rather than go for a victory priced at 6/1 by the aforesaid bookmaker.
Dortmund and M’Gladbach Play the Borussia Derby
Dortmund and M’Gladbach meet once again in what has become known as the Derby of the Borussias. Dortmund is favorite as always, especially with home pitch advantage being on their side, but they won’t have the frantic supporters cheering for them. On the bright side, they don’t have any injured players and are in good form, so they should capitalize on the odds of 3/5. 888 Sport makes a tempting proposition to punters willing to back the underdogs, as it offers odds of 4/1 on the visiting team.
Porto and Braga Fight for the First Place in Primeira Liga
Porto is set to continue its dominance in the Portuguese first division after winning the championship once again. This is the opening match and they are justly favorites against Braga, but this is a team that has caused them plenty of troubles in the past. The reigning champions were unable to defeat them in the last four matches and the odds offered by 888 Sport on them to break the ice stand at 3/5. Braga had a convincing campaign of friendly games and will try to carry the momentum in the Primeira Liga. If they succeed and cause an upset in Porto, punters who bet on their victory will be paid at odds of 4/1.
Disclaimer:
The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour the article was written, respectively on Wednesday, September 16 at 1 pm UK time.
