Tipping the winners from Europe's top games this weekend
After a summer of heavy investment by some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, Manchester City against Tottenham is perhaps the most unexpected direct encounter between first and second. Not because Spurs don’t deserve to be there, but there were concerns they’d get left behind this season after their rivals went big in the transfer market.
Tottenham vs Manchester City – City to win
It was surprising to see City draw at Celtic Park in the Champions League on Wednesday and even more of a surprise to see a Pep Guardiola side go behind three times in a match. The atmosphere in Glasgow helped produce that miracle result, but with all due respect to White Hart Lane, it can’t happen all the time and Guardiola will surely use that result as a warning to his players.
Tottenham and City are the only unbeaten teams left in the division and Mauricio Pochettino’s side, which is the joint-best home record along with champions Leicester. Guardiola may not be able to line up with the likes of Nolito, Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany this weekend, but the absence of Harry Kane for Tottenham is far more damaging to their chances.
The home side will look to try and be intense in their approach but they may not be able to handle City’s football when they start to mount wave after wave of attacks. City are favourites with Bet365, and there is a reason for that.
Roma vs Inter – Roma to win
Inter have not managed to find consistency between their performances in Serie A and in the Europa League and that can be attributed to the absence of Joao Mario, who has already given Inter a new found solidity to the team. The Portugal international trying to be fit in time for Sunday’s fixture when two rivals in competition for a Champions League spot will meet.
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Roma celebrated Francesco Totti’s 40th birthday in style but must now look to bounce back from their shock 3-1 defeat to Torino last week. He is in astonishing form, scoring six goals and registering six assists in his last 13 matches in all competitions. Given the chance, Totti will fancy his chances against Inter having only scored more goals against five other teams than the Nerazzurri (12 goals).
Valencia v Atletico - Atletico to win @1.85
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Although the club have officially appointed Cesare Prandelli as Pako Ayesteran’s replacement, the Italian will not take charge until Monday, meaning Valencia will take on Atletico with a caretaker on the bench. Moreover the colchoneros winning against Bayern doesn't mean they will be tired, but more likely the opposite. Simeone has now fixed the issues from earlier in the season. Not good for Valencia.
Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Dortmund - Borussia Dortmund to win @1.95
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Their amazing performance against Real Madrid left the feeling that this Dortmund side, within two years, could conquer the world, if only there weren’t transfer windows for clubs to come circling for their star players. If Tuchel keeps the tension high, then there will be trouble for Leverkusen. There are only two scoring scenarios listed in the WhoScored match forecast, and both suggest that it is the visitors that will likely score.
PSG v Bordeaux - Draw First Half-PSG Second Half @3.75
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Maybe the comeback in Bulgaria changed the confidence of Emery's team. After half an hour he was at risk of being sacked, but now they could have turned a corner. They doesn't mean that they will steamroller over anybody, as Bordeaux are still a solid side with the same number of points as PSG, but the champions’ start could be resolved as the game draws on.
Who will your money be on this weekend? Let us know in the comments below
