The football fiesta continues this weekend and once again Saturday has the most matches scheduled. At the top, middle and bottom of the top European football leagues, teams are chasing valuable points. Relegation-threatened teams play in the English Premier League, while the Champions League hopefuls compete in the Spanish La Liga. The most impactful matches are the ones scheduled in the German and Italian top flights, where the teams chasing the trophy play on the road.
The Race to avoid Relegation Resumes in the Premier League
Brighton and Watford are separated by only three points and both of them are dangerously close to the relegation area. A victory over a direct competition could weigh heavily in the balance, so there’s a lot of pressure ahead of this match. Brighton odds of 11/10 are justified by Watford’s performance on the road, but this is likely to be a low-scoring match. On the other hand, the game between Everton and Crystal Palace has a good chance to turn into a goalscoring festival, with the team from Liverpool big favorite.
Leverkusen and Dortmund Fight for a Place on the Podium
Leverkusen and Dortmund are still within striking distance of the leaders and could take advantage of the fact that the top two teams lock horns on Sunday. Leverkusen will play at home, which should increase the odds of winning, given their strong performance season-long. Dortmund is the team in better form, with a high number of goals scored regardless of venue, hence the slight favorite. 888 Sport offers odds of 11/10 on the visitors, which means that the home side is priced at 9/10 to win or draw.
Juventus and Atalanta Hunt Big Points on the Road
Juventus have returned to the top of the Italian first division and they are unlikely to give this advantage away. Playing on the road has certain disadvantages, but nothing serious enough as to hurt their chances. A match against Verona should be easily won, so punters shouldn’t expect odds that exceed 1/2 at bet365 Sports. Atalanta is going to have a much more difficult task at Fiorentina, a team that plays better when starting the match as the underdog. The odds of the visitors currently stand at 9/10 but are expected to drop.
Valencia and Villarreal have the Champions League Groups in Sight
Valencia and Villarreal have scraped narrow margin victories and earned some valuable points in recent weeks. Overall, they are not playing at the desired level and need to improve their performance to climb in fourth place. Villarreal play a coin flip match on the road against Valladolid, as each team gets identical odds of 17/10. Valencia are actually underdogs in Madrid against Getafe, with exceptional odds of 27/10; the hosts currently sit in the third-place and as favorites, only get odds of 11/10.