La Liga and Ligue 1 Kickstart the Football Weekend on Friday
Published April 19, 2019 by Florin P
The relegation battle heats up in the Spanish and French first divisions, while Alaves and Lyon chase ambitious goals in key matches.
There are only three important matches scheduled on Friday evening in the Spanish and French first division. All of them are of great importance for the teams involved, as they could decide the relegated football clubs and the ones playing in European tournaments. The teams playing at home are credited with the first chance, but except for Lyon they are only narrow favorites at major bookmakers.
No Room for Error in the Alaves vs Valladolid Match
Alaves have squandered one opportunity after another and with only six rounds left in the Spanish La Liga, they are on the verge of losing it all. The team has only theoretical chances of playing in the Champions League and their hopes of securing a Europa League berth are also fading. What they need now is a home victory over Valladolid, an outcome priced at 11/10 by bet365 Sports. The visitors are not strangers to lost opportunities, after they failed to win at home against 10-man Getafe. They sit one point below the line and if they lose on Friday at 8 PM UK time, relegation will be almost inevitable.
Lyon Try To Cash in on Angers’ Lack of Motivation
Lyon are playing with fire and six rounds before the end of the regular season, the Champions League presence is in danger. They were defeated on the road last round and unless they defeat Angers on Friday, their job will be greatly complicated. There is a real chance for St Etienne to tie them for third place and even Olympic Marseille are within striking distance. 888 Sport offers odds of 3/10 on the hosts to prevail, while the visitors get 9/1; the odds are justified by the fact that Angers have nothing to fight for.
Decisive Match Between Dijon and Rennes
Dijon have dominated the last match against Amiens, but were unable to claim three valuable points. They still trail them by seven points and nothing short of victory over Rennes will keep them in the race to avoid relegation. The visitors have only faint hopes of playing in Europa League next season and will throw everything they’ve got in this match. Winner Sports offers identical odds of 9/5 on the two teams to win, while an unlikely draw is priced at 23/10.
