Mauricio Pochettino and his team will aim to clip the Hornets at Vicarage Road this weekend to cap off a perfect week which started in style at Old Trafford on Monday night. The season may just be kicking off in Spain but the Andalusia derby is on the menu and the entire city of Seville would come to a standstill when Real Betis and Sevilla lock horns at Benito Villamarin. In France, there is a big game at Stade Louis II between supposed title challengers AS Monaco and Olympique Marseille.
Here is our preview of matches across the top five European Leagues this weekend.
We begin in France;
NIMES OLYMPIQUE v PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN – SAT. 01 SEPT 2018, 16.00HRS
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League leaders and champions PSG will hope to continue their perfect start to the season when they travel to face new boys Nimes. The Crocodiles have two wins in their first three league games proving their worth in Ligue 1; they had back-to-back wins over Angers and Olympique Marseille but suffered a defeat away to Toulouse last week. Les Parisiens will have to approach the game at Stade des Costieres with respect for their host and opponent who have beaten Marseille in front of their home fans.
VERDICT – PSG are still in evolving Thomas Tuchel, the team doesn’t have a clear identity right but with the quality available in attack, Les Rouge-et-Bleu are favorites for this even though we expect a challenge from the home team. Over 2.5 goals.
AS MONACO v OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE – SUN. 02 SEPT 2018, 20.00HRS
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These two teams are expected to challenge PSG for the title this season having finished second and fourth respectively last season but their wobbly start to the campaign means they are five points behind league leaders after just three league matches. Monaco are a handful when playing in front of their fans while Marseille will be out for revenge following their 6-1 crushing defeat last year August when they visited Stade Louis II. This is a game both teams cannot afford to lose if they have harbor any title aspiration for the season.
VERDICT – In 35 meetings, Monaco have 12W compared to Marseille 13W with 10D in between them. The average goal per match is 2.9 between these two teams. This is a game for either team to relaunch their campaign; it might not produce a classic encounter this fixture used to bring but we can be guaranteed goals at both ends. Both teams to score.
To Germany;
HANNOVER 96 v BORUSSIA DORTMUND – FRI. 31 AUG 2018, 19.30HRS
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Borussia Dortmund’s emphatic display in their opening day victory over RB Leipzig was a major talking point at the end of Week One fixtures but the performance from Dortmund midfield trio of Dahoud, Witsel and Delaney has to be highlighted. BVB midfielders were majestic, leaving their RBL counterpart lost throughout the game. The confidence from such performance will be taken to HDI Arena for this weekend duel. Hannover secured a deserved draw at Bremen last weekend and will hope to build on that when playing in front of their fans in their first home Bundesliga game this season. Coach Andre Breitenreiter will rally his troops and ensure they are fully motivated for the visit of one of German’s power houses this weekend.
VERDICT – Dortmund have a better head-to-head record in this fixture than their host. BVB have won 17 of the 33 matches played and the average goal per match is 3.5 goals. Dortmund have a solid squad better than Hannover and that quality gives them the edge for this game. We expect goals at the HDI Arena; over 2.5 goals is our prediction.
VfB STUTTGART v BAYERN MUNICH – SAT. 01 SEPT 2018, 17.30HRS
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Bayern Munich had to dig deep to earn a victory over Hoffenheim in their Bundesliga opener and the hallmark of champions is that they always find a way to do it. James Rodriguez may be handed his first start of the season after coming on a sub last week to replace Franck Ribery as Nico Kovac continues his new rebuilding at Bayern. On the other hand, Stuttgart fell short in Mainz last week but will hope for better fortune and result at the Mercedes Benz Arena when Bayern come calling. Die Schwaben have a few new players who are just coming in and will require some time to settle in but the Bavarians have started the campaign quite strongly so it could be a mix match at the time of the season.
VERDICT – Bayern are favorites for this game considering recent history. In 39 matches, Bayern have 29 victories compared to Stuttgart’s six with an average of 3.2 goals per match. FCB will be expected to dominate a game that has an away victory written all over it.
To Italy;
AC MILAN v AS ROMA – FRI. 31 AUG 2018, 19.30HRS
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Milan ran out of steam after racing to a 2-0 lead against Napoli last week before losing 3-2 in Naples. The signs do not look good for Milan who fell at first sight of trouble but have it all to do against Roma, a team they haven’t defeated at the San Siro since 2015. Roma have played two league games this season and are yet to impress which must be a cause for concern for Di Francesco. Atalanta played with a midfield reserve but were still superior in the first half. The Giallorossi managed a comeback in the game but there are signs of frustration on the bench and in the stands.
VERDICT – In 38 matches between these teams, AC Milan have won 11 while AS Roma have 15 victories and the average goals per match is 2.6 goals. Both sides will want to improve on last week’s performance and result. For Milan, Calhanoglu’s return means Gonzalo Higuain should get the required service to enable him score goals for his new club. Our prediction is a safe one; over 1.5 goals
BOLOGNA v INTER MILAN – SAT. 01 SEPT 2018, 17.00HRS
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It has been a frustrating start to the season for Inter Milan who were tipped as the main challenger to Juventus for the title. With one point out of a possible six, this has become a must win game for Luciano Spalletti who doesn’t know preferred XI yet. Bologna have a serious challenge this season and it is in attack, the Rossoblu don’t have a reliable striker and are yet to score in the league after two games. Ironically, Fillipo Inzaghi is their head coach but what he has to work with are youngsters; Riccardo Orsolini and Orji Okwonkwo are two talented lads but they don’t have the experience and expertise to score goals regularly.
VERDICT – Inter have started the season slowly but will need to rediscover their form as we head into week three. Their fantastic head-to-head record against Bologna 21 of their last 32 meetings and quality in the squad means the Nerazzurri are favorites for earn all three points at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara
To Spain;
CELTA VIGO v ATLETICO MADRID – SAT. 01 SEPT 2018, 17.30HRS
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Celta welcome Atletico to Balaidos in what should be an entertaining game between a host who are quite strong at home against a visiting team who rarely give much away. Diego Simeone will be facing his friend Antonio Mohamed on Saturday evening in Vigo but the Atleti coach will put friendship aside for 90 minutes as they battle Celticos for all three points. Atleti are a well drilled and disciplined side which means Pione Sisto will need to produce another man-of-the-match performance similar to the Levante game for the home team.
VERDICT – Celta have started the season on a good note under new coach Mohamed who is trying to infuse his methods into the team but they are up against a team who have won on their last two visits to Balaidos and have a superior head-to-head against them. Antoine Griezmann loves playing and scoring against Celta, he will hope to continue such form on Saturday. That said, we expect a much tighter affair between two sides who sit on four points each after two games. Our prediction is over 1.5 goals for this game.
REAL BETIS v SEVILLA – SUN. 02 SEPT 2018, 19.45HRS
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All eyes will be on estadio Benito Villamarin for the Andalusia derby between Real Betis and Sevilla. Los Beticos will want to make amend for their poor result in the opening weekend loss to Levante by inflicting pain on their city rival in the derby. Sevilla were held to a goalless draw at home against Villarreal last weekend but will look to on-loan striker Andre Silva to lead the attack. Betis haven’t started this campaign as anticipated and it appears the team is struggling in the midfield since Fabian Ruiz left for Napoli.
VERDICT – Betis are yet to score this season; firing blank in their opening two fixtures but there isn’t a better game to open their season account than the derby. Sevilla are slight favorites considering their form into this game and they will be gunning for revenge as after last season defeat. In the last 36 matches, Betis have 6W compared to Sevilla 17W and the average goal per match is 2.5 goals. We believe both teams will be fired up for the derby which means there should be goals at both end.
To England;
LEICESTER CITY v LIVERPOOL – SAT. 01 SEPT 2018, 12.30HRS
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Liverpool have made it three wins in three games and are the only side yet to concede a goal in the Premier League this season. The Reds are refusing to get carried away with their solid start to the campaign and will be fully aware of Leicester capabilities at the King Power Stadium. Leicester have recovered from opening day defeat and won their next two league games even though they would be without Jamie Vardy who is suspended for this one. Kelechi Iheanacho will be expected to lead the line for the Foxes as the battle the league leaders.
VERDICT – It may be premature but there is a tiny whiff of confidence around Melwood and Anfield with fans believing this could be the year eventually. Leicester will be confident going into this game but Vardy’s absence is a huge loss. In recent meetings, Liverpool have had the better results and will be considered favorites in a game that would be keenly contested. We expect both teams to get on the scoresheet.
WATFORD v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR – SUN. 02 SEPT 2018, 16.00HRS
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Watford have made a stunning start to the season winning their opening three league matches and will be in confident mood as they welcome Spurs to Vicarage Road. Tottenham, too, have won their three league matches and will be eyeing a fourth in East London. This is a real test for Javi Gracia and his team who haven’t defeated Spurs in any competition since 1993. Interestingly, it is a top of the table clash where the winner could move to the summit by the end of the first month of the season.
VERDICT – Spurs are a bigger fish for Watford to fry but Argentine midfielder Roberto Pereyra is in good form and will be the livewire for his team. Harry Kane has broken his August jinx and scoring in back-to-back games. In the last 10 meetings, Tottenham have won eight and drawn two. Both teams are in high spirit after their last games which means we are in for a good game. Our prediction is over 2.5 goals
This wraps us our focus for the week. FESIG previews continues next week. Predict and win big by visiting our Sports shop Babaijebu.ng for mouthwatering offers.
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