Top 5 European Football League’s Betting Action 09-10th March 2019 Including Arsenal v Manchester United
This weekend’s football action sees Arsenal attempt to leapfrog Manchester United into the Premier League top four while Borussia Dortmund are starting to feel the pressure at the head of the Bundesliga. Real Madrid look to have no chance of winning La Liga and, in France, the title has surely been won by Paris Saint-Germain. Similarly, in Italy, reigning Champions Juventus look set to retain the title.
Arsenal v Manchester United (Sunday 16:30)
Arsenal will have had a day less recovery time after European action when they face Manchester United this Sunday afternoon but that should not stop them from inflicting a first league defeat on interim United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team. The Gunners will have a full complement of players to choose from while United are down to the bare bones due to an extensive injury list.
Victory for Arsenal would see them go above United in the table and into the top four Champions League qualifying places. Solskjaer’s team have been fortunate in the extreme recently but without key players like Mata, Herrera, Lingard and Sanchez this game should put their luck to the test. Arsenal are the understandable favourites to win and at more than reasonable odds of 5/4 a home victory is one of the bets of the weekend.
Real Valladolid v Real Madrid (Sunday 19:45)
In third place, and twelve points adrift of leaders Barcelona, Real Madrid’s hopes of a La Liga title look all but doomed. Current form is not good with recent league defeats by Girona and Barca followed by a shocking 4-1 home defeat by Ajax in the Champions League. This Sunday’s game at fifth from bottom Real Valladolid would normally be chalked up as a routine win for the Madrid outfit but not on current form.
Hosts Valladolid have their own problems having lost four of the last five La Liga games but this weekend’s game offers the struggling side a chance to put one over on their illustrious rivals. Madrid are generally quoted as 8/15 favourites to win which is far too short. A home win can be backed at around 4/1 but a drawn match looks the best bet at nice odds of 3/1 and better.
Juventus v Udinese (Friday 19:30)
Serie A leaders Juventus have what should be a very winnable game on Friday night against fifteenth in the table Udinese. Playing at home and unbeaten in the league this season, Juve are unsurprising favourites at short odds of just 1/4 but this game could be a potential banana skin for the runaway table-toppers. Udinese have won their last two games, albeit against bottom three clubs, and there is a strong possibility of Juventus resting some players with a must-win Champions League game against Atletico Madrid the following Tuesday. How Juventus line-up is open to question and this makes betting on football all the trickier. Regardless of Juve’s starting eleven, the home team should win but it may be closer than the odds suggest and a narrow 1-0 victory would not be a huge surprise.
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Borussia Dortmund v Stuttgart (Sat 14:30)
Borussia Dortmund’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga has been reduced to just goal difference as a resurgent Bayern Munich have steadily applied the pressure. This Saturday’s home match against relegation-threatened Stuttgart is a must-win game if Dortmund are to keep the dream of a title win alive. The omens, however, are not good. Dortmund have won just one of the last five league games with three ending in draws. Most recently, Dortmund have been beaten by lowly Augsburg and then dumped out of the Champions League when losing 4-0 on aggregate to Tottenham Hotspur.
Stuttgart will provide a tough test as they struggle for their Bundesliga lives and have picked up points in the last two games with a win and a draw. The opponents on those two occasions were nowhere near as good as this weekend’s and a defeat by two or more goals looks in store for stuttering Stuttgart.
Saint-Etienne v Lille (Sunday 14:00)
With Paris Saint-Germain a massive seventeen points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table and as good as winners, the chase is on for second and automatic qualification for the Champions League. Two teams in contention for that coveted spot are fifth-placed Saint-Étienne who host second in the table Lille this Sunday. Saint-Étienne’s form is erratic to say the least with three defeats and two wins in the last five games. Similarly, Lille have not been at their best in recent outings but are unbeaten in four games with two wins and two draws.
Both teams will be desperate to win in order to further their European ambitions and a close game can be expected. As is the case with horse racing there are no dead certs when betting on football matches but backing a drawn game at just over 2/1 looks a fairly solid bet.
