It’s that time of the week again where we run through a selection of the most exciting matches from Europe’s top leagues taking place this weekend and offer our best bets and value picks.
Chelsea v Brentford (Saturday)
Chelsea host Brentford on Saturday looking to make it six straight Premier League wins in a row for the first time under Thomas Tuchel. The Blues will want to continue with the form they enjoyed before the international break. Brentford, on the other hand, will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering defeat at Leicester City last time out. The Bees have lost six of their last seven away games.
Crystal Palace v Arsenal (Monday)
Arsenal faces a tricky test as they travel to face Crystal Palace in a Premier League game on Monday. Mikel Arteta’s side have been in a rich vein of form, with their loss to Liverpool the only hiccup. The Gunners are eyeing a sixth straight away win, but Palace have shown under Patrick Vieira they have what it takes to upset the Premier League’s elite, so they’ll need to bring their A-game.
Lavante v Villarreal (Saturday)
Villarreal will be hoping to avoid a third straight league defeat on the road when they travel to face Levante on Saturday. Defeats to bottom-half sides last month had their hopes of a top-six finish badly damaged, but Unai Emery’s side will see a meeting with the league’s bottom club as an opportunity to get their challenge for European football back on track.
Barcelona v Sevilla (Sunday)
Barcelona will be out to extend their impressive run of results on Sunday when they welcome Sevilla to Camp Nou. The Catalans have racked up five wins in a row and will be confident of seeing off a Sevilla side who haven’t beaten them at home in the league since 2002. Ferran Torres, meanwhile, will be eager to continue his goalscoring form after netting in all three of Barca’s La Liga matches last month.
Hoffenheim v Bochum (Saturday)
Hoffenheim will be raring to get back to winning ways after their purple patch of four consecutive wins and impressively holding Bayern Munich to a stalemate was ended in a shock 3-0 loss away at Berlin. Bochum, on the other hand, needs immediate improvement to avoid being drawn into the fight against relegation – they’ve lost three times in their last four Bundesliga matches.
Bayer Leverkusen v Hertha Berlin (Saturday)
Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to build on the win over Wolfsburg in their last outing before the international break. Gerardo Seoane’s side have won three of their last four Bundesliga games at the BayArena and hosts a Hertha Berlin side who have registered just one win in 10 league matches with seven defeats.
Juventus v Inter Milan (Sunday)
Reigning scudetto champions Inter Milan make the trip to the Allianz Arena on Sunday in Serie A’s headline match this weekend. Juventus can heavily dent Inter Milan’s hopes of catching log-leaders AC Milan with the victory while putting themselves in a strong position to possibly throw their hat in the ring for a late dash for the title. It will be difficult to separate these sides with so much at stake, with both teams scoring for the fourth straight meeting between these giants seeming the best play.
Atalanta v Napoli (Sunday)
In-form Atalanta host title-chasing Napoli in the Italian Serie A on Sunday. The hosts are unbeaten in their last four matches with three wins, including back-to-back wins away to Bayer Leverkusen and Bologna. The visitors, meanwhile, are eyeing a third straight win following victories over Verona and Udinese. The last two meetings between the sides have produced a lot of goals, with Atalanta winning both.
Lille v Bordeaux (Saturday)
Lille looks to maintain their impressive form when they host bottom-of-the-table Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday. The Mastiffs are unbeaten in their last six games in the league without conceding a goal. Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side defeated Montpellier, Lyon, Clermont, and Nantes in that run while drawing with Metz and Saint-Etienne. Bordeaux, meanwhile, are still waiting for their first away win of 2022 after four losses and a draw from five.
Metz v Monaco (Sunday)
On paper, this matchup seems very straightforward to soccer punters. Metz were put to the sword by Rennes before the international break, conceding six goals in a humiliating defeat that stretched their winless streak to eight matches. Meanwhile, Monaco outclassed Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 at the Stade Louis II.