From Lazio v Inter Milan, free-scoring Bundesliga to Sivasspor’s Turkish Super Lig ambitions, it’s an action-packed weekend of football across Europe. Here are Things to look out for in European football: February 15-16. Bet on football here.
Serie A title six-pointer: Lazio v Inter Milan
Two of Serie A title challengers Lazio and Inter Milan go head to head on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico. Inter are top of the league on goal difference but their hosts are third, just one point behind Nerazzurri. Inter suffered a disappointing home defeat in the Coppa Italia to Napoli while Lazio had a full week of rest. Simone Inzaghi’s side are unbeaten in Serie A since late September 2019 and therefore head into this huge match high in confidence. Still, Antonio Conte’s side are yet to taste defeat since losing to Juventus in October. The result of this match will have far-reaching consequences. Lazio have made their title ambitions clear while Inter are trying to end Juventus’ hegemony and win their first scudetto since 2010. Can Lazio beat Inter at home or while the Nerazzurri complete the double?
More goals in the Bundesliga?
The Bundesliga is once again proving to be Europe’s most exciting and entertaining league this season. Teams in Germany’s top flight are scoring an average of 3.24 goals. In total, 610 goals have been scored in 188 matches so far. The top three title contenders have scored the most goals. Leaders Bayern Munich have scored 58 goals, RB Leipzig have netted 53 times while Borussia Dortmund have scored 59 goals. Bundesliga is the best free-scoring league in Europe’s top five leagues. In the Premier League, 2.76 goals are scored per game, La Liga sees 2.53, the French Ligue 1 sees 2.50 while the Serie A witnesses 2.91 goals per game. Will we see another high-scoring match week this weekend?
Sivasspor’s impressive run to continue in the Turkish Super Lig?
Turkish Super Lig club Sivasspor is on a historic run for its first-ever league title. They are top of the table after 21 games. Giants Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas are 5th, 6th and 7th respectively. Galatasaray are three points from the top while Fenerbahce and Besiktas are four and six points behind. Since the 2010-11 season, the same three clubs have won the league and Sivasspor is looking to break the oligopoly. They came close to winning the Super Lig in both the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, finishing fourth and second. Can they keep this up?
Olympique Lyon poor form
It looked like seven-time Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyon were gaining some momentum heading to the second half of the season but two defeats in their last three Ligue 1 matches have sent them a few steps back. They have now won just two of their last seven league games which left them 9th in the table with 33 points. They host 6th placed Strasbourg on Sunday looking to climb up the table. The visitors have won six of their last eight league games and may cause a lot of problems for Lyon. Considering Lyon are six points ahead of 16th placed Metz, they’ll need to get results soon.
Barcelona struggles
Reigning La Liga champions Barcelona face a huge test on Saturday as they welcome an in-form Getafe side. The Blaugrana have struggled since Quique Setien took over from Ernesto Valverde in mid-January. Although they’ve gotten results, the performances have been underwhelming. They have always depended on the brilliance of Lionel Messi. However, in Getafe, they have an organized side which has won ten of its last 13 games. Can Getafe shock Camp Nou?