Pandora Hughes
There’s a full schedule of soccer across all the big European leagues and MTS bring you the pick of the weekend betting action in England, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Home advantage matters in domestic football and fans who check out top online sportsbooks ahead of the weekend’s big European games will not be surprised to see bookies largely opposing the visitors.
Chelsea are big favorites at -165 to beat struggling Manchester United, while Real Madrid are also heavily favored against Sevilla. The odds look a little tighter in Serie A for Napoli taking on Lazio, with the league leaders rated as -125 chances, and the closest of our big four games, at least according to the markets, could be in Germany, where RB Leipzig are -115 to beat Bayer Leverkusen.
| English Premier League |  |  |  |
| Chelsea | -165 | -178 | -165 |
| Manchester United | +475 | +440 | +485 |
| Draw | +315 | +300 | +315 |
Chelsea v Man United, 11-28-2021
Manchester United fans may be able to draw some comfort from the fact that Sunday’s opponents recently sacked a manager midway through a season and the results have been successful.
Since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard last season, Chelsea have won 35 games out of 50 in all competitions, kept 31 clean sheets, and won the Champions League.
Unfortunately for their fans, the records of the two clubs when it comes to managers are poles apart. Chelsea’s model of regularly replacing their manager works because the club is otherwise stable and well-organized. United meanwhile lurch from manager to manager, philosophy to philosophy, spending hundreds of millions of pounds with very little to show for it.
They now have a particularly tricky appointment to make and the confidence that they will get it right is not high. Meanwhile, a demoralized team has to take on one of Europe’s most dangerous opponents, fresh from thrashing Juventus in the Champions League. This is priced as though it will be fairly uncompetitive but if anything, Chelsea could be shorter.
Napoli v Lazio, 11-28-2021
Napoli have set a strong pace at the top of Serie A. In fact, at the end of October, they had a record of 10 wins, 1 draw, and no losses. But their injury list had been lengthening and there are signs that it may be catching up with them, given that they don’t have the deepest squad in the league.
In their last Serie A game, they were beaten 3-2 in Milan by Internazionale, and while that result in itself was not a disaster, the manner of their performance, that saw them outplayed for long periods of the game was of more concern for manager Luciano Spalletti.
They followed up that disappointment with a defeat to Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, which means they have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
And that Napoli injury list is not shrinking. Victor Osimhen’s absence is the biggest issue, but he has been joined by Lorenzo Insigne, Andre Zambo Anguissa, Matteo Politano, Diego Demme, and Adam Ounas, while Faouzi Ghoulam will also be missing here, due to suspension.
Lazio are not the greatest team on the road, but with the possible return of Ciro Immobile, they look capable of earning a draw from this trip to the south.
Real Madrid v Sevilla, 11-28-2021
The chaotic start to La Liga meant that half a dozen teams were in with a shout but as the fall has drawn on, the smoke has cleared a little and Real Madrid are starting to look like potential winners.
There is, however, a long way to go, and it is worth noting that despite their strong recent form, the home team will go into this game without Gareth Bale, Frederico Valverde, and Daniel Ceballos, while Eden Hazard is significant doubt.
And this is not a game that they can afford to take lightly. Sevilla dropped points against Alaves in their last league game, but they secured an impressive win over Wolfsburg in the week and their away record is very strong. This could be a tight game, but I’m backing the visitors to get the draw.
RB Leipzig v Leverkusen, 11-28-2021
RB Leipzig had a slow start to the season, but they have started to pick up in recent weeks and although they lost their last Bundesliga game, they look a solid wager here.
Leipzig lost three of their first four league games, but since the middle of September, they have only lost one out of eight. They have been particularly strong at home, winning their last four games at the Red Bull Arena, by an aggregate of 12-2 and they warmed up for this match by thrashing Club Brugge 5-0 in the Champions League.
Currently outside the top four, I don’t expect that situation to last for too many more weeks and they can continue their momentum at the expense of Leverkusen.
Best Online Sportsbooks to Bet on Soccer
Check out the leading soccer betting sites below. You can get the best odds on the English Premier League and the other top European leagues when you bet on soccer through these betting partners.
