If you are the kind of punter who likes to spread their wings a little from the normal leagues and betting markets, or if you are looking to add some meat to your accas but aren’t sure where to turn, don’t worry: we’ve got your back.
Here’s a round-up of the top four divisions across Europe, not including the Premier League, that may help you to add some value to your coupons this weekend:
La Liga (Spain)
It’s a case of same old, same old in La Liga with usual suspects Barcelona, Real and Atletico Madrid occupying three of the top four spots in the table.
But the identity of the fourth might be surprising, particularly for anyone that had to sit though their performances under short-term boss Gary Neville.
Yep, Valencia are second in the league and are currently on a six-match winning streak. This week they host a Leganes side whose record is okay (W5 D2 L3) but whose defensive work – they’ve conceded just five goals in ten starts – is outstanding. Valencia to win and Under 2.5 Goals is priced at 13/5 and is a very interesting proposition indeed.
Another noteworthy side of late has been Villarreal, who are unbeaten under new boss Javier Callejo (W3 D1 L0) and have bagged ten goals in their last four starts.
Their opponents this week are Malaga, who have lost 5/5 on the road this term, conceding eleven and failing to score at all! Villarreal with a -1 handicap at 7/5 looks intriguing value.
For those who love a goals-based flutter, how about Real Sociedad vs Eibar on Sunday: combined, 16/20 of their matches this term have gone over the 2.5 mark. You can get odds of 6/5 on Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score here.
Bundesliga (Germany)
Another year, another probable 1-2 for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund!
Mind you, it’s not been all plain sailing for either side, and it took the appointment of club legend Jupp Heynckes – who replaced Carlo Ancelotti – to really get the club pushing forward again.
They actually meet on Saturday evening in a match we’re looking forward to watching but steering clear of from a betting perspective.
There is very little for punters to sink their teeth into this weekend in Germany, but do consider the goals lines in Augsburg vs Leverkusen: 16/20 combined outings this term have witnessed three or more goals. Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score can be backed at 5/6.
Serie A (Italy)
There appears to have been a genuine sea-change in Serie A this season, with Juventus’ lengthy dominance appearing to be eroded by Napoli.
The Naples outfit are three points clear of the Old Lady, and in averaging nearly three goals scored per game they look set to take some stopping.
Hot on Napoli’s heels as the form team in Serie A are Inter Milan, who are unbeaten in eleven, and Lazio, who have nine of their last ten league outings. They are both at home this week against Torino and Udinese respectively, and the double pays at shade under even money.
Juventus host Benevento this week; the bottom-of-the-table side whose formline reads W0 D0 L11! They have conceded 29 goals in those 11 games, so far our money backing Juventus to win 3-0 (5/1) and 4-0 (11/2) is money well spent.
Ligue 1 (France)
PSG have forged a four point lead over reigning champions Monaco at the summit of Ligue 1, and with a goal difference of +26 after just eleven matches it is clear that the big money signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are paying dividends.
Claudio Ranieri’s next adventure after being sacked by Leicester was to take over at Nantes, a side he has transformed into a very difficult unit to beat. In their eleven outings so far they have scored just nine goals but conceded only eight, and this week they host a Toulouse outfit whose last five results have been 1-1, 1-0, 1-0 and 0-0. Consequently, the Under 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score (No) mark is very interesting at 4/5.
At the other end of the spectrum are Dijon, for whom 8/11 have delivered over 2.5 goals including 5/5 away from home. This week they travel to take on Nice, whose most recent league results read 2-2, 2-4, 0-2, 1-2 and 0-3. We’re happy to follow in Over 2.5 Goals once again at odds of 9/10.