Europe’s top leagues are only just back in full swing, and yet there are some real blockbusters on offer already. The highlight of them all is in Italy this weekend, where the sides who occupied the top two spots in Serie A last season meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. Juventus and Roma will both be desperate to improve on poor openings to the new campaign and it could well be a titanic clash. A bout between heavyweights also takes place in Bavaria on Saturday as Bayern Munich, last season’s Bundesliga champions, take on a Bayer Leverkusen side looking to build on the fourth place finish they secured in 2014/15.
Two of Spain’s five representatives in the Champions League group stage meet on Sunday, with Europa League holders Sevilla hosting Atletico Madrid in what could be an early indicator of which side provides the stiffest competition for Barcelona and Real Madrid in the title race this season. There is action in England as well, and Derby County boss Paul Clement will be hoping to seal his first win as Rams boss at home to Leeds United on Saturday, as visiting boss Uwe Rosler also looks for his maiden victory. It has been four decades since Derby County and Juventus shared a pitch, but this weekend it may well be worth the two sides sharing a betting slip.
- Derby County vs Leeds United – Draw (3/1 at Totesport)
- Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen – Over 3.5 goals (29/20 at BetVictor)
- Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid – Atletico Madrid to win (17/10 at Bet365)
- Roma vs Juventus – Juventus to win (2/1 at BetVictor)
- see also our Premier League tips article for 29th & 30th August
Derby County vs Leeds United – 29th August
0-0, 1-1, 1-1, 1-1. Derby County’s early form in the Championship may be consistent, but it fails to inspire fans of a side many backed to earn promotion to the Premier League before the season began. The Rams did well to salvage a draw with Middlesbrough, but stalemates with Bolton, Charlton and Birmingham have made for a dour beginning to Paul Clement’s first managerial stint. In fact, only one person could really empathise with Clement right now, and that is his opposite number this weekend. Uwe Rosler’s Leeds have also drawn their opening four games, with 1-1 home stalemates against Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday complimented by 0-0 and 2-2 draws away to Reading and Bristol City respectively. Rosler must have thought he had secured his first win as Leeds boss in Bristol, before two goals for the home side in the dying embers of the game consigned the Yorkshire outfit to yet another draw.
Both managers will be keen to get that all-important first win in charge of their new sides under their belts this weekend, especially as both suffered the ignominy of exiting the Capital One Cup in the first round at the hands of lower league opposition. In fact, the early form of the two sides is uncannily similar, and it is hard to separate two teams that are tough to crack but are also lacking inspiration. It may be much too obvious, but a draw actually seems a sensible bet. If you fancy Derby and Leeds each drawing in the league for the fifth time in a row, Totesport are offering 3/1.
- Draw – 3/1 at Totesport
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen – 29th August
Two sides with 100 per cent records after two Bundesliga games meet at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening, with Bayern Munich hosting Bayer Leverkusen. Challengers have come and gone, but Bayern have always seen off every side that has deigned to take their league title off them. Leverkusen, despite coming agonisingly close in 2000 and 2002, have never won the Bundesliga and don’t look like doing so any time soon, but Roger Schmidt’s side will be keen to secure another top four spot even with Borussia Dortmund and Schalke set to stage a much more convincing tilt at the top spots this season. They take on a Bayern side that last week had to recover from conceding the joint-quickest goal in Bundesliga history to overcome Hoffenheim – and even that was only secured by a last-gasp winner.
This Bayer Leverkusen side, despite potentially losing Heung-Min Son to Tottenham Hotspur, have plenty of players who can bag goals, chief among them Hakan Calhanoglu and Stefan Kießling. Bayern have been hit by a number of injuries in the defence plus the suspension of Jerome Boateng, which means Dante is the only recognised centre back fit to play on Saturday. That will give Leverkusen plenty of hope of scoring, but they will be wary of Bayern’s potent attacking power. Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski already have five league goals between them and will be looking for more, while Arjen Robben, Mario Götze and impressive new signing Douglas Costa also provide firepower. This has goals written all over it, and BetVictor are offering 29/20 on over 3.5 goals being scored in what could well be a classic Bundesliga encounter.
- Over 3.5 goals – 29/20 at BetVictor
Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid – 30th August
The return of La Liga could have not been a more anticlimactic affair; only a four-goal encounter between Granada and Eibar saved the opening matchday from being one of the lowest scoring in the history of the Spanish top flight. Atletico Madrid at least get credit for providing one goal toward the tally, with Antoine Griezmann’s strike enough to see off newly promoted Las Palmas, but Sevilla could not even muster up a solitary goal as they limped to a 0-0 draw with Malaga. As two of Spain’s record five representatives in the Champions League group stage, Sevilla and Atletico will have to improve rapidly if they are to compete on multiple fronts.
Sevilla were perhaps fortunate to take a point against a Malaga side that created many more chances, and they will not be aided this weekend by the absence of the suspended Steven N’Zonzi, who was dismissed on his La Liga debut at La Rosaleda. Fans will expect a better showing from Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but they will find it difficult against an Atletico side disciplined well by Diego Simeone and blessed with plenty of attacking options, including Griezmann and summer signing Jackson Martinez. Atletico look the better placed to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of the league this season, just as they look better placed to win this match. Bet365 are offering 17/10 on Simeone’s side doing just that and that looks very good to us.
- Atletico Madrid to win – 17/10 at Bet365
Roma vs Juventus – 30th August
Serie A resumed last weekend, and there were plenty of headlines made due to some surprising scorelines for the big guns in Italy’s top flight. Defeats for AC Milan and Napoli had tongues wagging, but it was the fortunes of last season’s top two that caught the eye most. Alessandro Florenzi’s goal rescued Roma as they settled for a draw away to Hellas Verona, before Juventus were put to the sword by Cyril Théréau as Udinese stunned the champions with a 1-0 victory in Turin. Both sides will already consider it two and three points dropped respectively as they look to secure the title, and that makes this meeting in the Italian capital a titanic tussle even at this early stage in the season.
When odds of 2/1 on Juventus winning ANY Serie A match are offered, it is worth taking. BetVictor have just that on offer, and although Roma provide very stiff opposition at home, that price is just too big to ignore. Massimiliano Allegri will not even entertain the idea of Juventus failing to win their opening two Serie A matches of the season, and the players will be raring to go. In what should be a particularly tight encounter, Juventus are worth backing simply for the fact they are Juventus. Sometimes that is enough.
- Juventus to win – 2/1 at BetVictor