There’s a very interesting football weekend ahead, where much the attention will centre around the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus. All in all the Serie A fixture list serves up some very tight games, while the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid face equally tough prospects away from home. Meanwhile there’s a good chance for Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund to strengthen their positions.
LIKELY BETS
NAPOLI vs ATALANTA: HOME WIN - 1.36
The biggest concern for Napoli may come from next week’s scheduling, with Borussia Dortmund and Milan to play within a few days. However, the signs under Benitez so far suggest that there is unlikely to be an upset when they host Atalanta. Higuain was suspended for Argentina, so he could exploit Napoli’s WhoScored strength when it comes to 'finishing scoring chances' and Hamsik in particular will hope to benefit from the visitors weakness when it comes to 'avoiding fouling in dangerous areas'.
MONACO vs LORIENT: HOME WIN - 1.40
Ranieri's rejuvenated squad already seem strong enough as they are the Ligue 1 leaders. All in all Lorient are just too weak to cause the hosts problems having been losing at both half time and full time in their last 4 away games. The WhoScored match forecast, in fact, predicts that Monaco will score as a result of an opposition error.
ATLETICO MADRID vs ALMERIA: ATLETICO -1.5 - 2.025
Atletico aren’t playing like a side that have let someone like Radamel Falcao go. They’ve dropped no points thus far and remain lethal on the counter-attack, as well as creating and finishing scoring chances. The main danger for a clearly inferior Almeria side could come from their weakness when 'defending against attacks down the wings'. Atletico should win with at least a two-goal advantage.
TOTTENHAM vs NORWICH: HOME WIN - 1.45
There is a feeling that sooner or later the new signings will click at Tottenhan and the visit of Norwich to White Hart Lane looks like it might be their opportunity to do so. WhoScored’s match forecast predicts that Tottenham will dominate possession and it may be the right situation to exploit Norwich's weakness from 'defending against through ball attacks'.
MANCHESTER UNITED vs CRYSTAL PALACE: UNITED -1.5 - 1.875
It’s been a stop-start opening to the season for Moyes. They were disappointing against Chelsea and Liverpool after an encouraring performance in Swansea. For that reason a victory against newly-promoted Palace seems mandatory and United should win with at least a two goal advantage, as WhoScored’s match forecast predicts that the hosts will control the game in the opposition's half.
TEMPTING BETS
INTER vs JUVENTUS: UNDER 2.5 GOALS - 1.85
Juventus are already a powerful machine that know how to swamp their opponents while Mazzarri’s Inter seem to be making positive steps towards a solid structure, especially defensively. Nothing will change about Juventus even if they lose, while Inter are looking forward to testing their progress against a top team. Mazzarri is usually pretty conservative in big clashes and is careful not to concede any space. This will surely be an intense game, where there could be few goals scored.
TORINO vs MILAN: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE - 1.90
Milan have a raft of defensive injuries, though the Rossoneri have actually already had a few problems in that area. Kakà should make his debut playing in behind Balotelli and Matri. That means that Milan will be offensively dangerous but might expose themselves to counter-attacks. That’s an ideal scenario for Torino's quick transition play, led by Alessio Cerci, who is one of Serie A best wingers - if not the best.
LAZIO vs CHIEVO: HOME WIN - 1.66
Lazio’s heavy defeat at the hands of Juventus seemed almost too ugly to be real. Hernanes is suspended, but Petkovic will stick with a 4-4-1-1 formation using two playmakers in Ledesma and Biglia. Up against Chievo's midfield they should be too strong, as they face an inexperienced pairing of Improta and Radovanovic. Lazio's reaction is due.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs HAMBURG: HOME WIN - 1.25
Brace yourselves Hamburg, as Jurgen Klopp's troops are arriving. They seem pretty unstoppable at the moment, and WhoScored’s match forecast is predicting that Dortmund will create plenty of chances, which fits against Hamburg’s weakness of 'stopping opponents from creating chances'. Borussia should win with at least a two-goal margin.
GETAFE vs OSASUNA: OSASUNA DOUBLE CHANCE - 1.85
Osasuna's frustration at being bottom of the table with no points should see a reaction after manager Mendilibar was replaced by Javi Garcia. Playing away at second from bottom Getafe should help so a double chance bet on Osasuna is tempting.
LONG SHOT BETS
EVERTON vs CHELSEA: AWAY WIN - 2.35
Mourinho's mission already seems to be underway, while this will be Everton's first game without Fellaini. Martinez is still working on a definitive set-up, which could play into the hands of the Blues whose system is more secure. The stats suggest that Everton's weakness is 'defending against skillful players' which is not exactly the best premise against Chelsea.
VILLARREAL vs REAL MADRID: DRAW (MADRID -1) - 3.75
The trip to El Madrigal represents a difficult task for Ancelotti against a newly promoted team that has been able to win 9 points out of 9. The new manager has provided solidity so far, but Real Madrid may struggle in this one. However, Los Blancos have too much quality so they could do the job with a slender one-goal advantage, as has been the case in 2 of their 3 games thus far.
HERTHA BERLIN vs STUTTGART: HOME WIN - 2.15
Hertha have been one of the most pleasant surprises at the start of the Bundesliga, while Stuttgart’s poor form, with 3 defeats in 4 games, is not all that surprising as they weren’t expected to pull up any trees this season. Hertha's main strength is 'creating chances through individual skill', which should help against a Stuttgart side that are weak at 'avoiding individual errors'.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN vs WOLFSBURG: HOME WIN - 1.80
With 2 wins, 7 goals scored and 3 conceded at home for a trustworthy Leverkusen side, they continue to sit 3rd behind Borussia and Bayern. Meanwhile Wolfsburg are still improving but remain totally inconsistent away from with 2 defeats, no goals and 4 conceded.
HOFFENHEIM vs BORUSSIA M'GLADBACH: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE - 1.50
Over the 8 games played by Hoffenheim and Gladbach this season both teams have scored on 7 occasions, while all 8 have seen over 2.5 goals scored. This one is looking like the typical Bundesliga game, with plenty of goals providing great entertainment. It’s no coincidence that these are the two sides that have scored the most so far.
Share your top tips for the weekend by letting us know in the comments below.
