League football is well and truly back in the limelight, which is nothing but a good thing, unless you’re more of a cricket person! If so, you’re in the wrong place. With the advent of the new season comes a whole raft of football betting opportunities across a number of competitions, and our guide to weekend football takes us to Germany, the Netherlands and France, as well as the slightly less glamorous surroundings of West Yorkshire.
The weekend starts with Ligue 1 champions PSG travelling to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy to take on Lille. Next up is Burnley, recently relegated from the Premier League, taking the trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United in the Championship. Meanwhile Ajax and AZ Alkmaar look to kick off the season with a bang as both look to usurp PSV Eindhoven at the top of the Eredivisie, and DFB Pokal semi-finalists Arminia Bielefeld will be looking to spring another surprise when they take on Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin in the first round of this season’s competition.
- Lille vs Paris Saint-Germain – Over 3.5 goals (17/5 at BetVictor)
- Leeds United vs Burnley – Correct Score 1-1 (6/1 at BetVictor)
- AZ Alkmaar vs Ajax – Half Time/Full Time as Draw/Ajax (11/2 at Ladbrokes)
- Arminia Bielefeld vs Hertha Berlin – Arminia Bielefeld to win (15/8 at Totesport)
Note: We also have a separate set of tips specifically for this weekends premier league action.
Lille vs Paris Saint-Germain – August 7th
Paris Saint-Germain’s title defence begins with a trip to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy as the Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue holders take on Lille on Friday. The Parisians successfully defended the Trophée des Champions with a 2-0 victory over Lyon on August 1, and will once again be the favourites to retain their league crown. Benjamin Stambouli joins an already star-studded squad as Yohan Cabaye departs for Crystal Palace, but all eyes will be on the attacking partnership of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani: if the pair can build up a strong chemistry this season, the Champions League may also be in Laurent Blanc’s sights, especially with Angel Di Maria soon to be unveiled too.
Their opponents, Lille, will not have to concern themselves with European football this season, having finished eighth in 2014/15. The pressures of competing in the Europa League after a Champions League play-off defeat to Porto did not aid Lille’s push for the top spots, and neither did their profligacy in front of goal. The departures of Divock Origi, Nolan Roux, Idrissa Gueye and Adam Traoré will not help the quest for goals either, while losing key defender Simon Kjaer does not help at the back. However, goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama heads up a strong defensive unit that only conceded 12 home league goals last season, and Rene Girard’s charges will be looking to keep the champions at bay. Yet BetVictor have offered 17/5 on 3.5 or more goals being scored, and it’s tempting. PSG thrashed Lille 6-1 the last time they met and they will be out for goals. Without Kjaer in the centre of defence Lille may be leaky. It’s a risky one, but with a good yield.
Over 3.5 goals – 17/5 at BetVictor
Leeds United vs Burnley – August 8th
The Championship kicks off at Elland Road, where Leeds United are looking to begin their quest to end an 11-year absence from the top flight on the right note in front of the home faithful. Opponents Burnley will be hoping that their hiatus from Premier League football will only last one season. Uwe Rosler has been appointed by Leeds to provide some stability after turbulence in the past couple of seasons, and the signings of Stuart Dallas and Chris Wood represent a desire to reinforce an attack that fell short of expectations last term, whilst Steve Morison has now been offloaded. For too long, falling short of expectations has been the story at United. Fans will be hoping their sixth successive season in the second tier finally matches their ambitions.
Relegation was met with disappointment but not surprise by Burnley fans, as the Lancashire side dropped back into the Championship after one season. Losing key players in Danny Ings, Jason Shackell and Kieran Trippier was a major, if expected, blow, but the club acted quickly to bring in Matt Lowton, Chris Long and Jelle Vossen. With the rest of the squad intact, Sean Dyche’s side should still be considered amongst the front-runners for automatic promotion. Both sides look strong enough to cancel each other out, with enough bite up front to grab a goal. It will be a tight, tense season-opener that does not promise goals. This one screams 1-1, and BetVictor are offering odds of 6/1 on it.
Correct Score 1-1 (6/1 at BetVictor)
AZ Alkmaar vs Ajax – August 9th
It was a tale of away winners when AZ Alkmaar and Ajax met last season in the Eredivisie. The Amsterdam side defeated AZ 3-1 on their first away day of the 2014/15 season, and they will be looking to repeat the feat on Sunday. Alkmaar, however, did defeat Ajax 1-0 at the Amsterdam Arena, and will be confident of starting their season in style despite losing Steven Berghuis and Nemanja Gudelj to Watford and Ajax respectively.
As well as snapping up Gudelj, Ajax have brought in Poland international Arkadiusz Milik on a permanent basis and promising youngsters Amin Younes and Yaya Sanogo in their bid to spice up the attack. Milik notched 23 goals in all competitions when on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last season, and committing his future to the club gives them a huge boost. This will be a tight encounter, but Ajax have the edge, and eventually it will show. Ladbrokes are offering 11/2 on a half time/full time bet on draw/Ajax, and it’s well worth taking.
Half Time/Full Time as Draw/Ajax – 11/2 at Ladbrokes
Arminia Bielefeld vs Hertha Berlin – August 9th
German football returns this weekend with the first round of the DFB Pokal, and there is intrigue aplenty as a number of unseeded teams from the lower leagues host top-level opponents. 18 amateur teams take part in the first round, but a number of sides with the ability to cause an upset are also in the mix. One amongst them is Arminia Bielefeld, who were superb as they defeated Hertha Berlin, Werder Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach on the way to reaching the Pokal semi finals last season. Bielefeld topped a successful season by winning the 3.Bundesliga, and go into this season back in the second tier after one year away.
In the first round of the Cup Arminia take on Hertha Berlin, the side they defeated on penalties in the second round last season. Hertha had a terrible campaign in the Bundesliga in 2014/15, ending up out of the relegation zone only on goal difference, having failed to win any of their last seven league games. Pál Dárdai will be more concerned with maintaining Hertha’s top flight status than mounting a cup run, and the side from the capital may take their eye off the ball in this tie. Given the high propensity for shocks at this stage of the tournament, and Arminia Bielefeld’s status as one of the stronger Davids to the creaking Goliath that is Hertha Berlin, odds on the home side winning are not particularly long. However, Totesport are offering 15/8, and although you’d find better odds on amateurs FC Nöttingen defeating Bayern Munich, a shock is actually on in this corner of Nordrhein-Westphalen.
Arminia Bielefeld to win – 15/8 at Totesport