European Football Betting Preview: 26-29 April

There’s plenty of European football to look forward to this weekend, so here’s a selection of games not to be missed from La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

La Liga

A fantastic weekend awaits in La Liga, starting with the Friday night fixture in San Sebastián, with Real Madrid’s visit having been brought forward, as they prepare for Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final.

Last Sunday, Jude Bellingham’s stoppage time winner saw los Blancos prevail in el Clásico, moving 11 points clear at the top, requiring only seven points from their six remaining fixtures to be crowned champions.

So, with Carlo Ancelotti set to heavily rotate, can Real Sociedad take advantage, seeking to enhance their own top six chances?

Imanol Alguacil’s team kick off sixth, just three points above Betis, unbeaten in five, albeit the last two have been draws, but La Real will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds at Anoeta.

24 hours later, in Saturday’s showcase late slot, fourth takes on fifth in a clash that could have huge ramifications in the race for Champions League qualification.

Atlético Madrid’s horrendous away form continued last weekend, beaten 2-0 by Alavés at Mendizorrotza, meaning they’ve lost seven of their last 11 La Liga fixtures on the road.

Luckily for Diego Simeone, Athletic Club Bilbao slipped-up also, held to a 1-1 draw by Granada at San Mamés, meaning Atleti remain three points clear of Athletic.

Los Colchoneros have only lost twice at the Metropolitano this season, although one of those came at the hands of Athletic in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, with the Basque side knowing a repeat of that victory would see them leap into fourth.

Then, coming up on Sunday night, one of the biggest fixtures on the La Liga calendar, el Gran Derbi.

Real Betis and Sevilla have gone head-to-head 140 times since first doing so in 1928, but not often in recent times have los Verdiblancos come into a derby match five places and 11 points above their fierce rivals.

Last weekend, Manuel Pellegrini’s side beat Valencia 2-1 at Mestalla, thereby dislodging los Che from the final European position, with Béticos seeking a third successive victory as they aim to remain in the top seven.

Sevilla, in contrast, have featured in Europe in 19 of the last 20 seasons (2012/13 the sole exception), a sequence that’ll come to an end with los Nervionenses marooned in mid-table.

Not so long ago, Quique Sánchez Flores’ side were actually in danger of going down, although three victories on the spin, most-recently beating Mallorca 2-1 on Monday, has seen them surge to safety.

If you’ve never seen a Seville derby before, you’re in for a treat, even if this clash at Estadio Benito Villamarín is tough to call, given the inconsistencies and imperfections of both.

On Monday night, having announced last week that Xavi will be staying as manager, Barcelona are aiming for a strong conclusion to a disappointing campaign, welcoming Valencia to Montjuïc.

Elsewhere, after mathematically qualifying for Europe for the very first time, Girona will be seeking to avoid a sixth successive away defeat when they face Las Palmas in Gran Canaria.

At the bottom, three Andalusian teams look set to be relegated, with Cádiz the only side of the trio who harbour any hopes of survival, but their clash with Mallorca at Nuevo Mirandilla on Sunday is simply must win.

Both teams to score

Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid

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Barcelona to win and over 2.5 goals

Barcelona vs Valencia

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Both teams to score

Atlético Madrid vs Athletic Club Bilbao

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Both teams to score

Real Betis vs Sevilla

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Under 2.5 goals

Cádiz vs Mallorca

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At 16/1 a £10 bet would return £169.06!

La Liga acca of the week

Serie A

It’s already been a busy week of Calcio, not least with Internazionale Milano crowned champions for the 20th time on Monday night, doing so against AC Milan in a dramatic Derby della Madonnina that saw three red cards.

Then, in mid-week, we learnt the identities of this season’s two Coppa Italia Finalists, with both semi-final second legs proving to be dramatic.

On Tuesday, 2-0 down from the first leg in Turin, Taty Castellanos’ brace had Lazio back on level terms, only for Arkadiusz Milik’s late goal to snatch an aggregate victory for Juventus at the Olimpico.

We did though see a comeback 24 hours later, with Atalanta fighting back from a goal down in the first leg to overcome Fiorentina 4-2 on aggregate, with Nikola Milenković’s red card the key turning points, while la Dea scored not once but twice in stoppage time to advance.

So, Atalanta and Juventus will clash in Rome on 15 May, with Massimiliano Allegri’s team chasing a sixth Coppa in ten seasons, while victory for Gian Piero Gasperini’ side would be their first silverware since 1962.

Back in Serie A, with Inter confirmed as Scudetto winners, attention turns to the race for Europe and the battle against relegation.

Bologna’s win at Roma on Monday was a huge step towards Champions League qualification for I Rossoblù, with Thiago Motta’s team targeting another victory when struggling Udinese visit Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.

In Saturday’s headline fixture, Juventus face AC Milan in Turin and, despite reaching the Coppa Final in unconvincing fashion, la Vecchia Signora’s league form is horrendous, winning only two of their last 12.

I Rossoneri, like their hosts, are set to change managers this season, and also have nothing to play for, but Milan will fancy their chances of a rare victory at Allianz Stadium.

Then, on Sunday, attention turns to the Derby del Sole, with fierce rivals Napoli and Roma both in need of points at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

It’s a busy time for Roma, who will conclude the final 20 minutes of their trip to Udinese on Thursday, the score 1-1 when the match was abandoned, before facing Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League next Thursday.

Daniele De Rossi’s side though also need league points to rubber stamp a top five finish, boosted by the knowledge that their current position will end their five-year Champions League exile.

Napoli meantime currently occupy the Conference League spot but, having won just one of their last six, could yet finish lower than that, with I Partenopei supporters desperate for a better performance this time round.

At the bottom, Frosinone can climb out of the relegation zone on Friday, should they beat doomed Salernitana at home and, should they achieve this, it would pile the pressure onto Udinese, Empoli and Hellas Verona, who all have tough away games to come across the weekend.

Both teams to score

Juventus vs AC Milan

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Over 2.5 goals

Napoli vs Roma

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Atalanta to win

Atalanta vs Empoli

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Internazionale Milano to win

Internazionale Milano vs Torino

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Bologna to win

Bologna vs Udinese

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Lazio to win

Lazio vs Hellas Verona

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At 18/1, a £10 bet would return £192.43!

Serie A acca of the week

Bundesliga

Despite rubber stamping the title a fortnight ago, Bayer Leverkusen remain the main storyline in the Bundesliga, with everyone wondering if this team will ever be beaten.

Josip Stanišić’s stoppage time equaliser at Westfalenstadion last Sunday extended die Schwarzroten’s unbeaten streak to 45 matches across all competitions, with their toughest remaining Bundesliga fixture coming up on Saturday, as Stuttgart visit BayArena.

Xabi Alonso’s side need to stay focussed, with a Europa League semi-final against Roma to come, while a shock victory for die Schwaben could secure their own return to the Champions League.

Earlier on Saturday, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in Saxony, with the sides kicking off fourth and fifth respectively, just two points apart.

It’s now a near-certainty that the Bundesliga will be awarded a bonus fifth Champions League spot, which is a great relief to Dortmund, considering defeat at Red Bull Arena could all but end their top four chances.

Simultaneously, Bayern Munich will be looking to warm-up for Tuesday’s clash with Real Madrid by beating Eintracht Frankfurt, although die Adler need points as they seek to remain in sixth spot.

At the bottom, Darmstadt’s return to the Zweite Bundesliga could be confirmed before they even take to the field against Heidenheim in Sunday’s late kick off at Stadion am Böllenfalltor.

Meantime, given that they’re unbeaten in five, winning three on the spin at home, Mainz are now out of the bottom three, with Bo Henriksen’s team confident of another home victory given that second-bottom Köln are visiting.

Union Berlin, who finished fourth last season, have now lost three on the spin, so can Nenad Bjelica’s team address this slide towards relegation when they face Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday?

Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals

RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund

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Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals

Bayer Leverkusen vs VfB Stuttgart

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Bayern Munich to win and over 2.5 goals

Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt

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Both teams to score

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Union Berlin

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Over 2.5 cards

VfL Bochum vs Hoffenheim

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Mainz to win

Mainz vs Köln

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At 19/1, a £10 bet would return £204.97!

Bundesliga acca of the week

Ligue 1

Saturday night could be yet another coronation day for Paris Saint-Germain, after they crushed Lorient 4-1 on Wednesday, with both Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé bagging braces at Stade du Moustoir.

So, having not lost domestically since September, Luis Enrique’s team remain 11 points clear at the top and will claim a tenth title in 12 season with victory over Le Havre at home, a decent way to warm up for a Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund.

The Parisiens party was delayed on Wednesday because Monaco beat Lille 1-0 at Stade Louis II, Youssouf Fofana the match-winner, as les Monégasques further tightened their grip over second place.

Adi Hütter’s team will go on search of a fifth successive victory on Sunday evening when they travel to Parc Olympique Lyonnais, while the hosts need to bounce back from last weekend’s hammering in Paris.

Pierre Sage’s side have won 11 of their last 16, but a nightmare start to the campaign means les Gones remain ninth, needing to climb into the top seven to secure a European return, otherwise they’re relying on beating PSG in the Coupe de France Final.

Having lost their last two, Brest are in danger of slipping out the Champions League positions, so can Eric Roy’s side get back to winning ways in another tough game, this time traveling to Stade Rennais?

Should they fail to win, LOSC Lille would leapfrog Brest into third by beating in-form Metz, which won’t be easy, given that les Grenats have won their last two, thereby climbing out of the drop zone.

Olympique de Marseille’s 2-2 draw with Nice on Wednesday, Jonathan Clauss and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the scorers, lifted les Phocéens up to eighth, although they’re now without a win in five.

Jean-Louis Gasset’s team will take on Atalanta in the Europa League semi-finals, but are in danger of not featuring in Europe next season, making Sunday night’s clash with sixth-placed Lens vitally important.

Paris Saint-Germain half time/full time and over 2.5 goals

Paris Saint-Germain vs Le Havre

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Both teams to score

Olympique de Marseille vs Lens

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Over 2.5 goals

Olympique Lyonnais vs Monaco

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Lille to win

Metz vs LOSC Lille

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At 11/1, a £10 bet would return £115.35!

Ligue 1 acca of the week