Surprising Leaders Try to Extend their Lead on Saturday
Published October 3, 2020 by Florin P
The best European football leagues have unexpected leaders and they play on Saturday afternoon and evening to extend their lead.
With a few notable exceptions, the most important European championships have surprising leaders. Teams that used to struggle in the previous seasons came out firing on all cylinders and have claimed the temporary first place. They are scheduled to play on Saturday and most of them have a good opportunity to consolidate or even extend their lead.
Everton go for 4th Win in the Premier League
Everton are invincible this season and their winning streak spans over six consecutive games in different competitions. They are optimistic ahead of this fixture which pits them against Brighton, a team that has never defeated them on the road. The hosts are in good form and have no players injured, hence the odds of 7/10 offered by bet365 Sports on them to win. Brighton had their two-game winning streak snapped by Manchester United with a 90 minute penalty, but if they win on Saturday, punters will be paid at 4/1.
Hoffenheim Visit Struggling Frankfurt
Hoffenheim were able to defeat Bayern Munich after scoring two early goals last weekend and now stand at the top of the tables. Another victory on the road against Frankfurt would keep them there, although the pack of chasing teams is growing by the day. Traditionally a poor traveling team, Hoffenheim could take advantage of the fact that the hosts are struggling with fitness and fatigue problems. The match looks like a coin flip, with bet365 Sports offering odds of 13/10 on Frankfurt and 9/5 on Hoffenheim.
Lens and St Etienne Duel for First Place
Lens and St Etienne has exceeded expectations this season and are tied for the second place with 10 points after winning three out of four matches. They lock horns at 4 PM UK time with Lens having home pitch advantage and the support of some of their fans. The visitors are playing offensive football for the first time in many years and will try to pick up a rare victory on the road. These two teams are evenly matched, as reflected by the odds of 13/10 on Lens and 23/10 on St Etienne at 888 Sport.
Betis Clings to First Place in La Liga
Betis suffered a categorical defeat at the hands of Getafe midweek, but they can still claim the temporary first place if they defeat Valencia on the road. Their opponents were in dire straits but somehow managed to pull off a shocking win on the road against Real Sociedad. Valencia are still playing without some of their key footballers, hence the odds of 19/10 in spite of having home pitch advantage. 888 Sport regards the visitors as favorites to win, offering odds of 8/5 on Betis Sevilla to emerge victorious.
Disclaimer:
The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour the article was written, respectively on Wednesday, September 30 at 8 am UK time.
