We’ve got football coming out of our ears at the moment. It’s not just the quantity of the action that is exciting fans right now, it’s also the quality and importance. This hectic time of the season has seen many a title challenge falter and many more teams dragged into the relegation mix in the top leagues all over Europe.
This weekend’s games include a Premier League classic in Arsenal v Man Utd, two new managers taking their first games, as well as key clashes at both ends of the table. In the Championship there are more important matches in the tightly packed top six positions, while there’s an especially mouth watering showdown in Naples on Friday night. All this action provides some great betting opportunities which we’ve tried to take advantage of by picking out our choice of the weekend’s best bets.
- Everton v Huddersfield – Everton to Win (8/11 with Betfred)
- Leicester v Burnley – Both Teams to Score (11/10 with Betfair)
- Watford v Tottenham – Watford/Draw Double Chance (23/20 with Coral)
- Arsenal v Man Utd – Man Utd to Win by One Goal (7/2 with Ladbrokes)
- Leeds v Aston Villa – Leeds to Win and Both Teams to Score (9/2 with Bet365)
- Sheffield Wednesday v Hull – Over 3.5 Goals (85/40 with BetVictor)
- Napoli v Juventus – Napoli to Win and Over 2.5 Goals (9/4 with Ladbrokes)
- Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao – Real Madrid to Win and Both Teams to Score (7/4 with BetVictor)
Premier League
Raheem Sterling twice had to come to Man City’s rescue over the last week. The England forward scored late goals to secure the wins over Huddersfield and Southampton that kept City flying high at the top of the table. Pep Guardiola’s team will be confident of another win against West Ham on Sunday but will tired legs following the midweek fixtures hurt them or any other fancied teams this weekend?
Everton v Huddersfield – 2nd December
David Unsworth signed off in style as Everton caretaker manager. The delight was plain to see as he oversaw the thumping 4-0 win over West Ham. As Unsworth hands the reins over to Sam Allardyce, the Toffees faithful will be expecting another home win when Huddersfield visit Goodison Park on Saturday.
Huddersfield have now lost three in a row and their last three away games have ended with an aggregate score of 12-0. That includes a 5-0 thumping at Arsenal in midweek. David Wagner’s team are dropping ever closer to the summit of the table and should provide Everton with another very beatable opponent. The Toffees couldn’t have asked for a kinder fixture and we expect them to deliver with ease.
Everton to Win – 8/11 with Betfred
Leicester v Burnley – 2nd December
It was a very good midweek for both Leicester and Burnley. After some impressive enough results, Claude Puel’s time at Leicester really took off thanks to their 2-1 win over Tottenham. As for Burnley, they overcame the odds once again to beat Bournemouth by the same scoreline, with Chris Wood once again on target.
Ask anybody in football and they’ll tell you that you cannot put a price on confidence. It will surely be flowing through the veins of both teams when they take to the King Power Stadium pitch on Saturday. That should result in goals for both teams at 11/10 with Betfair in a game which could easily go either way but where goals look certain.
Both Teams to Score – 11/10 with Betfair
Watford v Tottenham – 2nd December
It was hard for Watford fans to believe what they were seeing on Tuesday night. The Hornets gave a good account of themselves in the first half against Man Utd but found themselves 3-0 down at the break thanks to some clinical finishing. Tottenham could have done with clinical finishing of their own as they missed a number of chances in defeat against Leicester.
Any team with ambitions to push up the Premier League team knows they cannot allow a poor result to turn into an extended run of bad form. Watford have already experienced that sort of low with three consecutive defeats and Marco Silva will be desperate for a positive result on Saturday. They could well get it against Spurs who know they now have no chance of winning the title, even at this early stage of proceedings. The Watford/Draw double chance looks very good value at 23/20 with Coral.
Watford/Draw Double Chance – 23/20 with Coral
Arsenal v Man Utd – 2nd December
Arsenal were at their brilliant best against Huddersfield on Wednesday night. The Gunners put the Terriers to the sword with a 5-0 thrashing to get the confidence flowing ahead of Saturday’s crunch game with Man Utd. However, after Jose Mourinho saw his team come close to throwing away a three goal lead against Watford, you can be sure United will be much stronger at the back than Huddersfield were at the Emirates.
Mourinho has allowed his players to run free against the Premier League’s lesser lights this season but it’s a different story in games against those at the top of the table. The clashes against Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool saw just two goals scored in total and it’ll be equally tight against Arsenal. Mourinho may pull off another smash and grab masterpiece but only by a narrow margin so take the 7/2 that Ladbrokes are quoting on Man Utd winning by one goal.
Man Utd to Win by One Goal – 7/2 with Ladbrokes
Championship
Moving down to the second tier, and Wolves managed to stretch their lead at the top of the Championship to four points over the last week. But, as we know, this is a division in which things can change very quickly. Wolves have a tricky trip to Birmingham on Monday night so the chasing pack have a very good chance to pile on the pressure this weekend.
Leeds v Aston Villa – 1st December
For a team to have any chance of winning automatic promotion they must beat the teams around them at the top of the Championship. Neither Leeds nor Aston Villa will be satisfied with their performances in the big games so far. Villa are yet to beat any of the top seven while Leeds’ record is two wins and four defeats.
Whoever gets the win on a cold Friday night, it’s going to be hard earned. These are two quality, if inconsistent teams, who are both capable of heating up the game by creating plenty of chances. Both know the importance of kicking on for the win but Leeds’ home advantage gives them the edge. So, back Thomas Christiansen’s men to win and for both teams to score at 9/2 with Bet365.
Leeds to Win and Both Teams to Score – 9/2 with Bet365
Sheffield Wednesday v Hull – 2nd December
Hull are the Championship’s entertainers. It’s not a tag that Leonid Slutsky is particularly happy about though. Hull’s Russian manager prefers his teams to be solid at the back but the Tigers’ lack of organisation has cost them some big defeats already this campaign.
Like Hull, Sheffield Wednesday started the season hoping for a playoff finish at least. They’ve not quite been as disappointing as their opponents on Saturday but there is plenty of room for improvement. The Owls are worthy favourites for the game at Hillsborough but they may have to score as many as three goals to get the win. This should be one of the highest scoring games of the weekend so back over 3.5 goals at 85/40 with BetVictor.
Over 3.5 Goals – 85/40 with BetVictor
Serie A
A handful of teams have threatened to end Juventus’ domination of Serie A in recent seasons but at no time have the Old Lady felt as threatened as they are this season. As many as four teams are putting pressure on Juventus who are four points off the early pace setters, Napoli. The two meet in the biggest game of the weekend while attention will continue to be paid to poor old Benevento who are still without a point after a record 14 games. At least that’s something for Palace fans to feel cheery about.
Napoli v Juventus – 1st December
Being ahead of Juventus at this stage of the season is impressive enough but recent seasons have shown that it’s all about hacking the pace when Juve inevitably finish strongly. Napoli’s highly impressive team have passed several tests in their unbeaten domestic campaign so far but this is the biggest of the lot, no doubt.
In his successful time in charge of Juventus so far, Max Allegri has shown the importance of getting an early foothold in the match. The Old Lady will take an attacking approach to the game from the off and Napoli will likely have to score more than one goal to get the win. Thankfully, that’s well within their capabilities so the Napoli and over 2.5 goals selection looks well priced at 9/4 with Ladbrokes.
Napoli to Win and Over 2.5 Goals – 9/4 with Ladbrokes
La Liga
Barcelona were denied a win against Valencia last weekend by a farcical decision not to award a goal to Lionel Messi. Still, the Catalan giants remain at the top of the Liga table, eight points clear of Real Madrid who are languishing in fourth and really struggling. The Christmas Clasico could spell the end of Real’s title chances – and perhaps boss Zinedine Zidane – but will they be able to recover their position in the meantime?
Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid – 2nd December
It seems unbelievable for a manager who has won the Champions League in consecutive seasons but some Real Madrid fans are questioning whether French ace Zidane should remain in charge at the club. Despite having perhaps the strongest squad in Europe, something just isn’t clicking for Real Madrid and they’ve got another tough test against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Real Madrid are far from a happy camp at the moment but Athletic Bilbao would do anything to trade places. They are involved in a relegation battle and have been written off by the bookies for Saturday’s game. Real Madrid should really secure all three points but don’t be surprised if Athletic make the most of their poor defensive record. That makes a bet on Real Madrid winning and both teams scoring tempting at very decent odds of 7/4 with BetVictor.
Real Madrid to Win and Both Teams to Score – 7/4 with BetVictor