The series of games played last week saw Manchester United return to winning ways with two consecutive victories though they are still 11 points off the table-toppers Manchester City who continued they winning run with an Impressive victory over Tottenham.
Napoli returned to the summit of the Serie A after Inter Milan dropped points when they came up against Udinese. AC Milan was pegged back by Verona with Juventus securing a win to remain in contention for a 6th successive Scudetto. Barcelona further solidified themselves as table toppers with PSG pulling further away from their Ligue 1 peers.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
12:00pm Saturday 23rd December, Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid head into this clash 11 points off Barcelona and know that a loss at the Santiago Bernabeu might as well see them kiss the title goodbye. With reports circling around that Cristiano Ronaldo might miss the match with a slight knock he picked up against Gremio Real Madrid might be without their main man. Though it’s likely Ronaldo will be fit in time for the El Clásico but his impact might not be as strong having only scored 4 league goals this season. A victory for Madrid will see them reduce the gap to 8 points and bring their City Rivals Atletico within a touching point of the trophy with a win against Espanyol.
Barcelona will be looking to earn their 3rd consecutive win and avoid a first defeat of the season. Valverde’s men boast of the best attack in the League and the joint best defense having only let in 7 goals and will be looking to stifle Real Madrid’s attack. Lionel Messi will be looking to beat Ronaldo to the golden shoe with both players on 54 goals. Barcelona will be looking to inflict damage on a Madrid side who have still not hit top form and pull away from last season’s Champion.
Football Betting Prediction.
Barcelona has not lost a game this season averaging 2.6 goals scored per game and will be looking to inflict the first loss in five games on Zidane’s Team but look set to suffer their first defeat of the season when they visit the Bernabeu.
Everton vs Chelsea
12:30pm Saturday 23rd December, Goodison Park.
Sam Allardyce side have picked up 13 points from 15 in their last 5 games and will be looking to continue this impressive form when they host Chelsea at Goodison Park. This run of form has seen them rise above the relegation zone and plant them firmly in the mid-table. They’ll be banking on a resurgent Wayne Rooney to help deal damage on a familiar foe.
Chelsea will be looking to get their third consecutive win when they visit Everton and try to close the gap between them and table toppers Manchester City. Alvaro Morata should be back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup fixture against Bournemouth. Eden Hazard who has been linked with a transfer to top clubs in Europe will be looking to continue his impressive form and help Chelsea secure maximum points.
Football Betting Prediction.
Everton has gone 5 games since a loss but comes against a Chelsea defense that has only conceded an average of 0.8 goals per game.
Napoli vs Sampdoria
2:00pm Saturday 23rd December, San Paolo.
Napoli secured top spot with a victory against Torino and will be hoping to stay there with a victory against an out of form Sampdoria. Maurizio Sarri will be looking to return to top form after dropping more points in their last 3 games than they did all season. In form forward Mertens will be looking to continue his impressive goal scoring form and help deliver 3 points to his team.
Sampdoria has been in the dismal form of late having only picked up 4 points from a possible 15 in their last 5 games. This poor run has seen them drop below the pack and a victory over Napoli at San Paolo will go a long way in their journey back to their prime. Quagliarella Sampdoria’s main striker will be looking to add to his tally and deliver their first win in 4 games.
Football Betting Prediction.
Napoli head into this clash as favorites and will be looking to end the year at the summit of the table when they host Sampdoria.
Bet Napoli to win and Over 1.5
Valencia vs Villarreal
3:15pm Saturday 23rd December, Mestalla.
Two defeats in their last three games have seen Valencia slip to 3rd place 8 points off table-toppers Barcelona. Marcelino’s men will be looking to return to winning ways after a shock loss when they faced Eibar and capitalize on any points dropped by Atletico and Barcelona to reaffirm themselves as title challengers. Zaza who already has 10 goals this season will be looking to add to his tally and deliver 3 points to his team.
Villarreal’s run of defeat was finally ended with a victory against Celta Vigo and they’ll be looking to cause an upset when they visit the Mestalla. They’ll be banking on Bakambu to help deliver maximum points and keep them on the run for a place in Europe.
Football Betting Prediction.
Valencia head into this clash having not lost at home this season and will be looking to return to prime form with a victory against Villarreal.
AC Milan vs Atalanta
5:00pm Saturday 23rd December, Giuseppe Meazza.
AC Milan seemed to have picked up form under interim manager Gattuso. After spending over 140 million pounds in the transfer window Milan still hasn’t mounted a challenge for the Scudetto and languish in the mid-table behind their opponents 7th placed Atlanta on goal difference. They’ll be looking to return to winning ways when they host Atlanta at the Giuseppe Meazza and at least make a play for Europe with Scudetto far off their reach.
Two wins and Two draws in their last 4 games has seen Atlanta rise to 7th and they’ll be hoping to secure maximum points when the visit Milan and further strengthen their position for a return to Europe albeit not being the elite Champions League. Ilicic will be looking to add to his tally and help his team secure victory against out of sorts AC Milan.
Football Betting Prediction.
Atlanta have gone 4 games since a loss and will be looking to continue their impressive form and will leave the Meazza with something to show for their troubles.
Bet Atlanta to Win/Draw and Under 2.5
Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur
5:30pm Saturday 23rd December, Turf Moor.
It’s December and Sean Dyche’s Burnley are still in the race for a Top Four Finish. A feat that no pundit could have predicted at the beginning of the season. A resilient defense which has conceded the same amount of goals as top team Manchester City and Manchester United. A victory at turf moor will see Burnley move up a position or two.
Tottenham were getting back to their old self after a run of two consecutive victories but were pegged back by in form Manchester City. Pochettino’s men who are a point behind Burnley will be looking to secure Victory when they visit Burnley and make a push for the Top Four after falling behind in the title race.
Football Betting Prediction.
Burnley have gone 3 games without defeat only conceding an average of 0.7 goals per game and will be looking to cement themselves as Europe aspirants with a Victory against Tottenham.
Juventus vs Roma
7:45pm Saturday 23rd December, Juventus Stadium.
Juventus have been in top-scoring form this season netting 44 goals in 17 games which has been the most prolific of any team in the Serie A but face a tough test when they host the resilient Roma defense which have only shipped 10 goals in 16 games. Allegri’s troops will be looking to go top of the table with a victory on home turf and will be banking on Pjanic and Higuaín to continue their impressive form and help deliver maximum points.
A victory at the Juventus Stadium will move Roma level on points with Juventus with a game in hand a situation which puts them in pole position to mount a challenge for the Scudetto. Roma boasts of the best defense in Italy and have gone 9 games since a loss. Eusebio Di Francesco will be looking to avoid the lackluster display that saw them fall to Torino and take his team further up the table.
Football Betting Prediction.
With an average of 2.6 goals scored per game this season Juventus will be hoping to overwhelm Roma’s stern defense with an array of firepower and head into this game hoping to avoid a home loss.