Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain were made to wait another week to be crowed champions of their respective leagues after their nearest challengers won to keep up the chase at the top. This week, however, their fate is in their own hands, with wins on Sunday night enough to claim the title and it is here, at the end of the weekend, that we focus our weekly betting attentions.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona - Preview
Barcelona - quite like Manchester United - have stumbled towards the finish line this season, winning the majority of their final games without playing particularly well or impressing all that much. Their lead at the top has been cut from 16 to 8 thanks to Real Madrid's form, and yet the Catalans still have the chance to secure the trophy this weekend. Furthermore, what would usually be viewed as an extremely difficult trip to Atletico Madrid this weekend, may prove to be something of a damp squib, with the home team likely to field a weakened side ahead of their Copa del Rey Final against rivals Real next Friday.
While the home side will not throw the game by any means, they might not be all that fussed about surrendering the Primera title to Barcelona, in the process ending Real Madrid's slim chances of major silverware this season. They have lost each of their last 5 meetings with Barça, conceding 16 goals in the process, and that run could be set to continue.
A yet more consistent feature of these sides' meetings is a great deal of goals. Each of their last 14 encounters have gone over 2.5, with 26 netted in the last 6 at the Vicente Calderon. Odds of 1.50 on over 2.5 goals this time around reflect the attacking prowess of both sides, who have netted a combined total of 166 goals in the league alone this season. At least 3 goals combined with a Barcelona win is a likely occurrence, and at odds of 2.40 it could be worth a punt.
AC Milan vs Roma - Preview
A run of 3 consecutive Milan wins seems to have staved off the threat of Fiorentina in the race for Champions League qualification from Serie A this season, and with a 4 point cushion they have every chance of making it, but will also be wary that the job is not yet done. The Rossoneri face a trip to Siena in their final game, who could still be scrapping for survival, so they will want 3 points here to secure their passage with a game to spare.
The second half of their season has seen a huge improvement in their form, and a great deal of that has been a consequence of Mario Balotelli's arrival. The controversial striker has scored 11 goals in as many games since he signed, in which time only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (13 each) have scored more goals across Europe's top 5 leagues. 5 of those goals have come from the spot, and there have been a penalty in Milan's last two games against Roma. With 10 wins in their last 11 home games, Milan are favourites to win, but you might well be better off relying on Balo to score anytime, at odds of 1.91.
Lyon vs Paris Saint Germain - Preview
Given the millions spent and the superstars brought in, that the Ligue 1 championship is still undecided might be more of a slant on PSG's season than the fact that they are one victory away from the title. A tough trip to Lyon stands in their way on Sunday night, and with Marseille likely to win at home to Toulouse on Saturday, the pressure should be on the Parisians to get a result. However, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic tiring after a long season - he has failed to score in consecutive league games for the first time since signing - and after a unnecessarily draining draw with Valenciennes last week, they could make hard work of their last few games.
Facing a Lyon side who have taken 10 points from the last 12 available and are in need of a positive result to keep up the chase for third place, PSG are up against it this weekend. Of the sides' last 5 meetings at Lyon in all competitions, 4 have ended as stalemates (after 90 minutes), and another draw this time around could be on the cards and be worth backing at odds of 3.25.
