Hi gang! This weekend it’s the third round of the FA Cup, where the big teams finally get involved! I’m also looking at the return of the Serie A after a short break. If you like my tips, you can place a bet on any of them here.
Espanyol 0 v 2 Barcelona – Saturday 4 January – La Liga – Barcelona Win (1.50)
These teams are neighbours, but they are very far apart in the table. Espanyol are bottom of the league and have lost seven of their last ten games in La Liga. They haven’t won at home all season. Barcelona are still top and have won eight of their last ten games. They have also won their last two matches against Espanyol, so I think that this will be an easy victory for Lionel Messi and his teammates.
Wolves 1 v 1 Man United – Saturday 4 January – FA Cup – Under 2.5 Goals (1.95)
Even though they beat Manchester City last week, Wolves are in poor form. They have lost three of their last five games. However, they have been better at home, where they have only lost one of their last ten games. Man United lost to Arsenal on Wednesday. They have now lost five of their last ten away games. They have played Wolves four times since the start of the 2018/19 season and not won once. In fact, they lost twice at Molineux last season. I’m going for a Draw.
Liverpool 2 v 1 Everton – Sunday 5 January – FA Cup – Over 2.5 Goals (1.45)
We have another Merseyside Derby. These teams played each other at the start of December, when Liverpool beat Everton 5-2 at Anfield. The Toffees have now lost four of their last five games at Liverpool’s stadium. This will be Liverpool’s third home game in row, so they will have the advantage of being less tired than their opponents. Everton have won two of their first three games under Carlo Ancelotti and have looked much improved. However, I think that they will struggle here, and I expect Liverpool to win.
AS Roma 2 v 1 Torino – Sunday 5 January – Serie A – AS Roma Win and Over 2.5 Goals (2.05)
AS Roma are fourth in the Serie A. They have won four of their last five home games – all of those games have seen Over 2.5 Goals. They have also won nine of their last ten games against Torino at the Stadio Olimpico – nine of those games have also had Over 2.5 Goals. Torino lost 4-0 to Lazio here in October too. Even though they are not in bad form, I do not trust Torino to play well. I am backing a Home Win.
Napoli 1 v 2 Inter – Monday 6 January – Serie A – Double Chance Inter (1.55)
The Serie A is back and this is a great way to start the year. Napoli are having a bad season and have only won two of their last ten league games. They have conceded at least once in all of their last five games and we don’t know yet whether their new manager, Gennaro Gattuso, will be a success. Inter Milan are top of the Serie A. They have only lost one league game this season and have not lost any of their league games away from home. Even though the Nerazzurri have struggled against Napoli in recent years, I believe that they will win this time.