After the international break we return to the bread and butter of domestic football this weekend and for those of you looking for a little value away from the bright lights of the Premier League we’ve got tips from four great games. First up is the Jürgen Klopp derby and the new Liverpool manager has left an indelible impact on both clubs during his career and there are no prizes for guessing what the 48-year-old manager will be watching this Friday evening. Saturday lunchtime sees a Yorkshire derby as East meets South in what should be a hotly contested affair between two in-form sides as Hull City travel to Hillsborough to face a Sheffield Wednesday outfit who have won their last four matches in all competitions.
From the Steel City to the San Siro as Internazionale welcome Juventus to Milan and although Max Allegri’s side had an awful start to the season, they have picked up a bit of late and this will be a keenly contested affair. Finally, we take in the most unlikely top of the table clash in years as Villareal take on Celta Vigo at El Madrigal and fans of Spanish football will rejoice that, for the moment at least, La Liga doesn’t read like the usual Real-Barca duopoly.
- Mainz v Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Dortmund to win and both teams to score (8/5 at Bet365)
- Sheffield Wednesday v Hull City – Both teams to score (20/21 at BetVictor)
- Internazionale v Juventus – Juventus to win (19/10 at BetVictor)
- Villareal v Celta Vigo – Villareal to win (11/10 at Sky Bet)
- See also our separate Premier League betting tips article for this weekend
Mainz v Borussia Dortmund – 16th October 2015
These two sides have been inexorably linked over the past few years as Thomas Tuchel followed in the footsteps of Klopp when he swapped the Coface Arena for the Westfalenstadion. As a result, Mainz are a side who play a very similar brand of football to Dortmund and this could be a really exciting match as the visitors look to get back to winning ways.
Tuchel’s men had enjoyed a perfect start to the season, but draws against Hoffenheim and newly promoted Darmsadt were followed up by a 5-1 demolition job at the hands of Bayern Munich and it looks for all the world as though Pep Guardiola’s side are going to romp to the title again this year. Worryingly for Tuchel however, is the fact that his team have conceded eight goals in their last three Bundesliga games and that will certainly give hope to Martin Schmidt’s outfit.
Mainz head into this game on the back of a 3-2 win over Darmstadt and whilst we think that they will find the net in front of their own fans, we can’t see them beating a Dortmund side who they have lost to in seven of the last eight meetings. A Dortmund win with BTTS has occurred in six of the last eight clashes between this pair and we like the look of it again in this one.
Borussia Dortmund to win and BTTS – 8/5 at Bet365
Sheffield Wednesday v Hull City – 17th October 2015
Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, alongside Middlesbrough (if you count them), are the sides most likely to fly Yorkshire’s flag in the Premier League next year with all three battling it out for promotion. Steve Bruce’s Hull are in fifth place, however, all of the sides in the play-offs are separated by goal difference whilst Wednesday sit three points behind them in 10th.
The Owls are narrow favourites to win this one as they have home advantage on their side yet the odds are fairly tight and this is definitely a game which could go either way. Both sides have won two of the last four meetings against each other and we think the safest bet in this one is BTTS. The Tigers have only failed to hit the back of the net once so far this season whilst Wednesday have hit eight in their last three matches and there could well be plenty of goals on Saturday so make hay whilst the goals are raining in!
Both teams to score – 20/21 at BetVictor
Internazionale v Juventus – 18th October 2015
This match is often one of the highlights of the Italian football calendar but its influence has waned over recent years as Inter have fallen away from the top table of Italian football. However, it has been a role reversal this season with Roberto Mancini’s men sat eight points and 10 places above the Old Lady, although Inter have dropped points in their last two matches and they were well beaten by Fiorentina, who currently occupy top spot.
However, the league table can often lie at this early stage and Inter’s five victories so far this term were all by a one-goal winning margin and they were very lucky to secure all three points in some of those matches. We think that they will come unstuck in this fixture as Max Allegri’s Juve get back to winning ways and they recover from losing names like Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez over the summer. The new signings are bedding in and we think that Juve will turn Mancini’s men over in this one with their last defeat at the hands of the Nerazzurri back in 2011.
Juventus to win – 19/10 at BetVictor
Villareal v Celta Vigo – 18th October 2015
If you had said at the beginning of the season that Villareal would be top of La Liga after seven matches, you would have got some funny looks. If you had said that Celta would be sat one point off top, level on points with Barca and Real you would’ve been openly mocked, but that is exactly what is happening in Spain at the moment. Villareal are a really exciting team to watch and their manager Marcelino has taken them from the Segunda to Champions League challengers in the space of two and a half years and also to the top of La Liga for the first time in their 92-year history.
Celta are also enjoying a fairy tale of their own as the small Galician side battle it out with the big boys in the upper reaches of the table. Their 4-1 victory over Barcelona was a simply stunning example of high pressing football and their front three of Iago Aspas, Fabio Orellana and Nolito are arguably the most exciting trio in the division at the moment, even outshining Neymar, Messi and Suarez at times this season. They missed the chance to go top in the last game as they drew 0-0 with Getafe and although Villareal were beaten by Levante before the international break, we still fancy them to get a win in this one and cement their position at the top of the table.
Villarreal to win – 11/10 at Sky Bet