This is the weekend football fans have been waiting for all season. Leicester City can finally win the Premier League, but the outcome may not be what most are hoping for. The title race in the Premier League is overshadowing that in La Liga and also the race for the Champions League spots in the Bundesliga. There are big matches across the continent this weekend.
Manchester United vs Leicester – Draw @3.40
Leicester would have hoped they had a lesser opponent on the first weekend they can win the Premier League. Louis van Gaal’s side are still in the hunt for fourth place and will not roll over to appease the footballing nation (minus Tottenham fans) yearning for Leicester to win the league. In 2016, United have won seven and lost just once at home in the league. They have also kept a clean sheet in their last four at Old Trafford. With Jamie Vardy suspended for Leicester, Claudio Ranieri will deploy the 4-4-2 system that worked well against Swansea last time out. Marcus Rojo will have to turn in his best performance in a United shirt to limit WhoScored.com’s highest rated player in the Premier League, Riyad Mahrez. On the other hand, the Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial combination can also cause real damage to the Foxes. Both could cancel each other out, with a draw well placed.
Chelsea vs Tottenham – Over 2.5 Goals @1.80
This fixture may be rendered irrelevant in the title race if Leicester wrap up the title on Sunday. Tottenham, however, will still have one eye on Arsenal and Manchester City behind them and they will be desperate to beat Chelsea in their own back yard for the first time in 26 years. Chelsea’s players have already made it abundantly clear they do not want Tottenham to win and they will be giving their all to ensure that even though they have nothing to play for in the league. Three of Tottenham’s last five matches have been over 2.5 goals, whilst the same is also true of Chelsea’s last five matches.
Bayer Leverkusen v Hertha Berlin – Draw @3.75
Bayer Leverkusen have all but sealed third place and the final ticket into the Champions League next season, which has in part been helped by Hertha’s implosion in recent weeks. Hertha have been fortunate in that fact that their rivals have also dropped points below them to allow them to remain in fourth.
Atletico v Rayo Vallecano – Win by One Goal @4.00
Colchoneros never leave anything on the pitch. Their Champions League semi-final win over Bayern Munich was extremely demanding on Wednesday but their tireless running and relentless hounding was worth it as they sealed a 1-0 win. Atletico will ideally want to rest and recover for the second leg but they can’t let their foot off the gas in the title race in Spain and Diego Simeone will need to field the necessary strength to overcome Rayo Vallecano. Paco Jemez’s side have only lost by more than a one-goal margin on one occasion in 2016, whereas each of Atletico’s last three matches have been won by the same margin.
Real Betis vs Barcelona – Barcelona to win (-2) @1.85
Barcelona have arrested their recent slump by scoring 14 goals in their last two matches. After being eliminated from the Champions League and almost throwing away the league, Barcelona have reverted to simply steaming through any team in their path. Real Betis have conceded at least three goals against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona already this season. The same could be true this weekend.
What are your top tips this weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
