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Winners and Losers in European football

 

Neymar scored another late winner, Barcelona lost, Romelu Lukaku scored in the Milan derby while Monaco’s dreadful start to the season continued. Here are the Winners and Losers from European football. Bet on football here. 

Winners

Neymar

Neymar scored another late winner for French champions Paris Saint-Germain who narrowly edged past Olympique Lyon to move three points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

The Brazilian once again produced a match-winning moment to finally break Lyon’s resistance. The 27-year-old was booed by his own fans before scoring a 92nd-minute winner against Strasbourg last weekend. He missed PSG’s first five games as he tried to force a move to his former side Barcelona.

Real Madrid

A Karim Benzema header secured a narrow and much-needed 1-0 win over Sevilla to relieve pressure on under-fire boss Zinedine Zidane. Los Blancos had suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss in the Champions League and Sevilla’s game might as well be the final straw for Zidane. This was also Madrid’s first win at Sevilla in five years and it could be the win that kick-starts their season.

Granada

Newly promoted Granada stunned an out of sorts Barcelona with a 2-0 victory at the Estadio Los Cármenes to compound the Catalans problems. Granada spent the last two seasons outside Spain’s top flight and had lost 11 of their last 12 meetings with the reigning La Liga champions.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku made a dream start in the Milan derby where he scored Inter Milan’s second goal as they beat arch-rivals AC Milan 2-0 to maintain their 100% record in Serie A. the former Manchester United forward Lukaku headed home his third goal in four Serie A matches from a Nicolo Barella’s cross the 78th minute to seal the win for Antonio Conte’s men.

Aaron Ramsey 

Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey scored on his Serie A debut as champions Juventus came from behind to defeat Hellas Verona 2-1. The 28-year-old made his first appearance as an 86th-minute substitute in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Wales international joined Juventus for free over the summer after his contract with Arsenal expired.

Losers 

Ernesto Valverde and Barcelona  

Barcelona suffered another embarrassing defeat over the weekend as they lost to La Liga newcomers Granada 2-0. The result meant Barcelona had made the worst league start for 25 years and now sit eighth, three points behind Granada. Not only was the result shameful but the performance was unforgivable. Valverde’s men have now failed to win any of their past eight away games and this run of results have put him under the microscope. The pressure is inevitably piling on the hard-pressed coach. Injuries and poor preparations have definitely caused most of Barca’s problems but Valverde must start delivering results.

Thomas Delaney

Borussia Dortmund were on their way to a 2-1 over Eintracht Frankfurt victory until Thomas Delaney, who was starting his fourth game of the season, scored an own goal in the 88th minute. With a win, Dortmund could’ve gone second in the Bundesliga. After starting most games for Dortmund last season, Delaney had to watch his club’s first four games of the season from the bench. Lucien Favre might have to revert to his preferred midfield duo of Axel Witsel and Julian Weigl.

Monaco

Monaco will have to wait longer for their first Ligue 1 win of the season after yet another draw, this time away to Stade de Reims on Saturday. Monaco had taken only two points from their opening five matches in total, making it their worst start since the 2001/2002 season. Poor defence and the misfiring attack has left the Ligue 1 champions form three years ago second from bottom.

Big Game Focus: Chelsea v Liverpool

 

Both Chelsea and Liverpool will be looking to get back to winning ways after they both lost their Champions League openers. The two clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The visitors have won all their five Premier League games this season while Chelsea secured a huge win last time out. Here’s the Big Game Focus. Bet on the Premier League here. 

Chelsea top-four credentials will be put to test on Sunday when they welcome league leaders Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The Blues recorded a huge 5-2 away win at Wolves last weekend but were defeated in the Champions League on Tuesday by Valencia. Can Frank Lampard’s team inflict defeat on an in-form Liverpool?

Liverpool, meanwhile, are five points clear at the top of the table after just five games. The Reds have won a staggering 14 consecutive matches in the league and will be looking to extend their record. Jurgen Klopp’s men have already found the net 15 times in the league this season and given how Chelsea’s defence has performed in their five games, they could be in for a long evening.

Betting preview

Liverpool have won their last 14 Premier League matches in a row, a run that started in March. Chelsea have won just three of their last ten games in the league and are winless in their two home games this season. Therefore, you can back an Away Win at odds of 1.95. 

The visitors have scored at least two goals in each of their last 14 Premier League games. Chelsea, meanwhile, have conceded at least two goals in four of their five league games this season. The Reds have kept just one clean sheet in seven games in all competitions this season. For that reason, you can back Both Teams to Score at odds of 1.50. 

Mohamed Salah has scored five goals in nine appearances against Chelsea. The Egyptian has scored four goals in seven appearances in all competitions this term. Odds of 2.25 for Mohamed Salah as Anytime Goalscorer are attractive. 

We’re also giving you a great offer if Salah scores. If you bet on the game, it loses, but Salah scores, you get your money back. Read more about it here.

Team news

Chelsea will be without Mason Mount after he picked up an ankle injury against Valencia, joining N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger on the sidelines. Callum Hudson-Odoi could play a part after coming back from a long knee injury, while Reece James will be assessed before kick-off.

Naby Keita and Alisson unavailable for Liverpool.

Possible line-ups

Chelsea: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori, Christensen, Alonso, Jorginho, Kovacic, Willian, Abraham, Pulisic

Liverpool: Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane

Top 5 Bets for the weekend: 21st -22nd Sept.

There is plenty of action during this coming weekend with the Milan derby amongst others on the menu and we have combed through the odds to find you the top five bets for your consideration. Bet on football here.

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – Home Win Double Chance – 1.55

Leicester will be out to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they face Tottenham on Saturday in the Premier League. The Foxes have only lost one of their eight Premier League home games since Brendan Rodgers took charge in February and have taken points off both Arsenal and Chelsea in the process. Tottenham are winless on the road in the league since January, losing six of their last eight away games. All things considered here, backing a Leicester Win or Draw Double Chance looks excellent value for money.

Werder Bremen v RB Leipzig – Bundesliga – Home Win – 3.90

RB Leipzig hope to continue their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season when they face Werder Bremen. The hosts narrowly missed out on Europa League qualification last season, but after a poor start to the new campaign, they have begun to pick up some momentum in the Bundesliga. Leipzig’s midweek trip to Portugal in the Champions League could be their undoing and they have the added pressure of having never beaten Werder Bremen away from home.

AC Milan v Inter Milan – Serie A – Under 2.5 Goals – 1.75

The Milan derby will be played this weekend and both AC Milan and Inter Milan face each other for the first time since appointing new managers. On current form, these two are not likely to produce a high number of goals. In 2019, no other Serie A team have kept more clean sheets than AC Milan, whose record stands at ten now. On the other hand, Inter have not conceded goals in nine matches during the same period. For that you can anticipate a low scoring but tight affair in this one.

Lyon v PSG – Ligue 1 – Both Teams to Score – 1.40

Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain had difficult fixtures in the Champions League in midweek but who can better focus their efforts on the league in this Sunday evening fixture? We would have expected PSG to win this match had it been in Paris, but that is not the case and you can expect a very tight match. Both teams have scored in eight of the last eleven matches between these two and with Lyon and PSG first and second respectively for goals scored in Ligue 1, we are expecting another exciting clash.

Sevilla v Real Madrid – La Liga – Over 2.5 Goals – 1.50

Sevilla will take on a Real Madrid side facing serious issues at present in La Liga’s feature match of the weekend. Los Blancos have made an unbeaten start in the league but have been highly unconvincing, and they were overpowered by PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. Sevilla are brimming with confidence following their 3-0 win against Qarabaq in the Europa League. Real have seen Over 2.5 Goals in all but one of their last five outings and the same is true for four of their last five meetings with Sevilla.

 

Big Game Focus: AC Milan v Inter Milan

 

The first Derby della Madonnina of the season takes place at San Siro on Saturday as archrivals Inter Milan and AC Milan clash in matchday four 2019/2020 Serie A season. Who will take the bragging rights? Here’s the Big Game Focus. Bet on Serie A here. 

AC Milan have made a decent start to the season winning two out of their three matches so far. They Rossoneri are under new management as they look to resuscitate the club which has endured years of mediocrity. They lost their two meetings with Inter last season in the league meaning they’ve only beaten their rivals just once in seven games in all competitions. Can Marco Giampaolo get a win in his first taste of the derby?

Just lime Milan, Inter are under new management. Former Juventus coach Antonio Conte is now at the helm for the Nerazzurri. His team has made a perfect start to the season and sit top of the table, two points ahead of champions Juventus. Can Inter maintain their 100% start on Saturday?

Betting preview

Inter have won their first three matches in Serie A this season. They were victorious in their two meetings last season. Giampaolo’s men have won just once against Inter in their last seven games. Therefore, you can back an Away Win at odds of 2.25. 

Both teams have not found the back of the net in three of their last five meetings. In all of AC Milan’s three Serie A matches this season, only one team have scored. Inter have kept two clean sheets in their three league games this season. For that reason, you can back Both Teams to Score No at odds of 1.90. 

Four of Milan’s last five home games in Serie A have seen two or fewer goals scored. Three of the last four meetings between these archnemeses have seen Under 2.5 Goals. Therefore, odds of 1.75 for Under 2.5 Goals are attractive. 

Team news

AC Milan will be missing Mattia Caldara has been out since May and he’s expected to return in November. Right-back Davide Calabria was dismissed last time out against Hellas Verona and starts his suspension.

Inter Milan have no injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s showdown. Diego Godin, Romelu Lukaku and Stefano Sensi might make their derby debuts.

Possible line-ups

AC Milan: Donnarumma, Conti, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Rodriguez, Biglia, Kessie, Calhanoglu, Suso, Paqueta; Piatek.​

Inter Milan: Handanovic, Godin, de Vrij, Skriniar, Candreva, Barella, Brozovic, Sensi, Asamoah, Martinez, Lukaku.

 

Big Game Focus: Southampton v Bournemouth

Southampton and Bournemouth are looking to win back-to-back Premier League games for the first time this season. Bet on the match here.

The Saints picked up where they left off when club football resumed at the weekend, having won two of out of three games in the run-up to the international break. The narrow 1-0 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane secured Southampton’s second clean sheet inside three Premier League contests.  It is worth noting that this was against two of the division’s lowest teams in Brighton and Sheffield United during that time.

Bournemouth registered an impressive 3-1 win over Everton at the Vitality Stadium in their last outing, a result that continued their recent trend of high-scoring games. With this being a derby, we expect this tussle to reach similar excitement levels.

Betting preview

Southampton and Bournemouth rank fifth and sixth highest respectively for average shots conceded per game to date in 2019/20. From the foregoing, both defences offer up chances to score at a noticeably high rate. Odds of 1.60 looks really good for Both Teams to Score seeing that the same has landed in all of Bournemouth’s last five league outings.

Bournemouth’s front-line breached Southampton’s defence to score three times when the clubs last met at St. Mary’s. That marked the beginning of a string of entertaining Premier League away fixtures for Bournemouth, who have seen Over 2.5 Goals in their last five away fixtures. You can back Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.70.

Southampton and Bournemouth have shared the spoils in three of their last five Premier League meetings, and in two of their last three encounters at St. Mary’s. We don’t think the home team wants to lose this one but we are just not sure they have enough to win. Therefore, backing a Double Chance Home Win looks really good at odds of 1.30.

Team news

Southampton are without Moussa Djenepo whilst Nathan Redmond will be assessed closer to kick-off. Kevin Danso is expected back from suspension, though if Ralph Hassenhuttl continues with a three-man system, then the Austrian may be forced to settle for a spot on the bench.

Lewis Cook made his return from injury in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Everton and could keep his spot. Simon Francis and Lloyd Kelly are both lacking in match fitness and could have to wait longer for consideration. Bournemouth’s injury list is easing, so Eddie Howe looks set to name the same XI that started Sunday’s victory.

Possible line ups

Southampton: Gunn, Bednarek, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Soares, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Bertrand, Ward-Prowse, Boufal, Adams.

Bournemouth: Ramsdale, Stacey, Cook, Ake, Rico, Wilson, Billing, Cook, King, Wilson, Solanke.

Big Game Focus: Eintracht Frankfurt v Arsenal

 

Eintracht Frankfurt and Arsenal had great runs in the Europa League last season and both teams meet in the group stage this season. Arsenal travel to Germany, a place they’ve suffered heavy defeats in the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Here’s the Big Game Focus. Bet on the Europa League here. 

Frankfurt were one of only two teams with a perfect record during last year’s group stage. That was impressive bearing in mind they faced strong opponents like Lazio, Apollon Limassol and Olympique Marseille. At home, they were unstoppable. They defeated those teams by an aggregate scoreline of 10-1. They went past Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan and Benfica in the knockout rounds before being eliminated by Chelsea in the semis. Although they sold their two best attacking players in Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller, they’re still a strong team and the Gunners should be wary.

After participating in the Champions League for 19 straight seasons, Arsenal have given a good account of themselves in this competition. In the two years, they’ve reached the semi-final and the final and will be attempting to go one step further this season. They were impressive in last season’s campaign where they eliminated Napoli and Valencia n the latter stages, eventually losing 4-1 in the final against Chelsea. Their trips in Germany have been forgettable. Starting with this game against Adi Hutter’s men, they can start changing that poor record.

Betting preview

Arsenal have won five of their last six Europa League matches. They’ve also won five of their last seven away matches in the tournament. Although Frankfurt have a strong home record in the competition, Arsenal are a much stronger side. Frankfurt’s squad has weakened significantly following the sale of Jovic and Haller. For that reason, you can back An Away Double Chance at odds of 1.40.  

Arsenal have already conceded eight competitive goals this season, shipping five in their three away games in the Premier League. The Gunners have now kept just 3 clean sheets in their last 14 competitive matches. Nonetheless, the Gunners have failed to score in just one of their last ten Europa League matches. The German side have scored in their last five home matches in the competition. Therefore, odds of 1.55 for Both Teams to Score are attractive. 

Four of Frankfurt’s last six matches in this competition have seen three or more goals scored. Six of Arsenal’s last eight Europa League matches have seen Over 2.5 Goals scored. You can back Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.65. 

Team news

The hosts will be without Mijat Gacinovic, who picked up an injury in training last week, while former Swansea City player Jonathan de Guzman misses out due to a muscular problem. Veteran defender Marco Russ is ruled out with a long-term injury while Sebastian Rode and Goncalo Paciencia are both doubts for the game.

For Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette is out until October with an ankle problem. New signing Kieran Tierney is still recovering from a hernia operation. Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos are long-term absentees.

Possible line-up

Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp; Abraham, Hinteregger, Hasebe, Rode, da Costa, Sow, Kamada, Chndler, Silva, Paciencia

Arsenal: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Luiz, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Willock, Torreira, Ozil, Aubameyang, Pepe