Revelation Teams Try to Regain their Pace on Friday Evening
Published January 31, 2020 by Florin P
Rennes and Schalke 04 brace for difficult opponents on Friday evening, in a desperate plight to stay within striking distance of leading teams
Only a few European competitions have matches scheduled on Friday evening, but there are exciting games in each of them. They involve teams that have enjoyed a strong season start, only to falter in recent weeks. As they are now drifting ever further from their objectives, these teams need to turn the tide and start winning matches. Home pitch advantage gives some of them a slight edge, but they play against highly motivated and in-form opponents.
Low Scoring Match Expected in Rennes vs Nantes Clash
Rennes is still in third place, which is more than what the team expected at the beginning of the season. Their objective is to finish on a place that will grant them access to the Champions League group stage, or at least the preliminary round. Home pitch advantage has been huge for this team throughout the season, but they play against an opponent who concedes few goals on the road. Nantes finished a single match undecided away from home, but in this game, they would gladly settle for one point. 888 Sport regards the home team at narrow favorite with odds of 11/10, while the visitors are priced at 3/1.
Hertha Try to Extend Schalke’s Losing Streak in Berlin
Hertha Berlin will try to put some distance between them and the teams struggling in the relegation zone. In order to achieve this, they need to defeat a squad that was until recently in the mix for a Champions League berth. Schalke were recently defeated by the reigning champions and now sit outside the places that would send them to a European competition. There’s perfect balance between the two teams, so not surprisingly, the odds offered by bet365 Sports reflect this reality. Each team gets odds of 17/10 to prevail, but the low scoring draw is also likely and an inconclusive match is priced at 23/10.
AZ Alkmaar to Seize Unexpected Respite in the Eredivisie
AZ Alkmaar suffered a shocking defeat in the last home match, but were lucky to have Ajax fail one week later. They sit in second place and are within striking distance of the leader, but in order to keep their dreams alive, they must win on Friday. This won’t be a tall order for a team that has the second-best home record while playing against the rock-bottom squad in the Eredivisie. Punters shouldn’t expect odds higher than 1/5 at Winner Sports if they back the hosts to win. Bold punters who trust Waalwijk to hand AZ their second consecutive home defeat will benefit from odds of 15/1 if the visitors end up winning.
