Scott Thornton’s European Props: Best Bets Preview
Scott Thornton has bets across the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga as the title races resume.
In Germany, we look ahead to Bayern’s trip to Monchengladbach as well as RB Leipzig vs Werder Bremen and Augsburg vs Stuttgart. Atalanta are looking to keep the pressure on Napoli by beating Udinese on the road. Our other game in Italy is Torino vs Juventus. Real Sociedad and Villarreal go toe-to-toe in La Liga.
- Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayern Munich: Over 25.5 Shots In The Match
- RB Leipzig vs Werder Bremen: Under 26.5 Shots In The Match
- Augsburg vs Stuttgart: Over 13.5 Shots For Stuttgart
- Udinese vs Atalanta: Under 16.5 Shots For Atalanta
- Torino vs Juventus: Over 8.5 Shots For Torino
- Real Sociedad vs Villarreal: Over 24.5 Shots In The Match
Acca odds: 33.32
This week’s Football Betting Pod Out NOW!
After a POD treble win last week, Sam Ingram, Scott Thornton, Daniel Jenkins and Daniele Fisichella are back to run the rule over the weekend’s best bets and predictions…
– x9 best bets
– Treble winners
– Manchester City to win the Premier League at 22/1?
– FA Cup Third Round
– Cupsets and Premier League dominance
– Atleti at the death
– POD treble
– All that & more…
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayern Munich
Germany, Bundesliga, Saturday, 11th January, 17:30 (UK)
Borussia Monchengladbach are 8th in the Bundesliga as we head into the restart. However, the congested nature of the table means they are just three points off the Champions League place and a point behind Dortmund. Gerardo Seoane’s side are unbeaten in six league games, winning five.
Vincent Kompany took over at Bayern in the summer and is tasked with regaining their crown in Germany. They are four points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, the reigning champions, at this stage. The Bavarians can’t afford any slip-ups with Xabi Alonso’s side recovering from their slow start to the season.
Monchengladbach matches have seen plenty of shots this season. Their games have seen the second-most attempts in the German top flight with an average of 29.87 per game. Seoane’s side’s last five home matches have seen an average of 30.8 shots with over 25.5 landing in four of those.
Bayern Munich are averaging 19.33 shots per game in the league this season so they should make a healthy contribution to the overall count here. There were 31 attempts when these teams locked horns at the Allianz Arena earlier in the season. In fact, this bet has won in the last five head-to-heads between the sides with those matches averaging 31.8 shots.
- Selection: Over 25.5 Shots In The Match (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 1.80
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 8/10
RB Leipzig vs Werder Bremen: A Measured Approach For Marco Rose
Germany, Bundesliga, Sunday, 12th January, 14:30 (UK)
RB Leipzig are unlikely to make it out of the league phase of the Champions League so returning to Europe’s elite club competition is a priority for the second half of the campaign. They are 4th in the table, nine points behind the league leaders after 15 matches. Marco Rose’s side were beaten 5-1 by Bayern in their last game.
Werder Bremen have failed to win any of their last nine matches against Leipzig. The are just two points behind Sunday’s opponents coming into the clash but that dismal record will be on their minds. Qualifying for a continental competition is the focus for Bremen after narrowly missing out last season.
Marco Rose’s side’s home matches have seen an average of 26 shots thus far, just below the line set by the bookmakers here. Under 26.5 shots has won in five of their seven Bundesliga home matches to this point and the overall average number of attempts in those fixtures drops to 24.5 if you exclude the clash with Eintracht Frankfurt which saw 35 shots.
Bremen’s away matches average exactly 26.5 shots but the data from their trips to Leipzig shows more promise for an unders bet. There have been 26 attempts or fewer in five of their last six games at this ground.
- Selection: Under 26.5 Shots In The Match (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 1.83
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 7/10
Augsburg vs Stuttgart: The Visitors Aim to Rediscover Their Best Form
Germany, Bundesliga, Sunday, 12th January, 14:30 (UK)
Augsburg finished 11th last season and finishing comfortably above the relegation zone looks likely to be the summit of their ambitions once again. They are currently 13th in the league, six points clear of the relegation playoff place. However, the team have won just one of their last seven.
Stuttgart surprised everyone by finishing above Bayern Munich last season. That would have been enough to win the title in most seasons but Bayer Leverkusen remained unbeaten as they won the league at a canter. Sebastian Hoeneß’s team have struggled to hit those heights this season but they are just four points off the top four.
Die Fuggerstadter are conceding 10.13 shots per home game on average in the league this season but the visitors are capable of exceeding that mark this weekend. Stuttgart had 19 shots at this ground last season and 17 in the reverse.
Hoeneß’s side are averaging 15 shots per game in the league this season. Their final two games before the winter break saw them rack up 25 and 18 shots.
- Selection: Over 13.5 Shots For Stuttgart (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 1.80
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 8/10
Udinese vs Atalanta: Title Chasers Face a Stern Test
Italy, Serie A, Saturday, 11th January, 14:00 (UK)
Udinese are firmly in midtable after playing half of their league matches. They have 25 points, leaving them seven points behind 6th. Le Zebrette have failed to win any of their last four league games on home turf and are unlikely to end that poor run against an Atalanta side they haven’t beaten since 2017.
Gian Piero Gasperini led Atalanta to a Europa League triumph last season. They are chasing their first-ever Serie A win this season and that would trump any achievement to date. The Bergamo-based club have been on an upward trajectory for quite some time. They are now three points off top but with a game in hand.
Le Zebrette are conceding an average of 13.33 shots in their home league games this season so under 16.5 shots for the visitors is our bet here. Atlanta have failed to hit the 16 shot mark in four of their last five clashes with Udinese. They managed just eight attempts in this fixture last season.
Despite flying high in the table, Atalanta haven’t had a huge number of shots on the road. This bet has won in seven of their 10 league games thus far.
- Selection: Under 16.5 Shots For Atalanta (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 1.72
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 8/10
Torino vs Juventus: An Action Packed Turin Derby
Italy, Serie A, Saturday, 11th January, 17:00 (UK)
Torino need to put together a tremendous run of results to put themselves in European contention. A win over their local rivals would be the perfect place but it will not be an easy task. They haven’t beaten the Old Lady since 2015, a run of 21 matches without a win.
Thiago Motta arrived at Juventus to much fanfare after guiding Bologna to the Champions League last season. His team are the only unbeaten side in the top tier of Italian football but 11 draws in 18 matches mean they face a fight to make it into the top four. The club will be hoping to add some much-needed firepower to their attack in the transfer window but they must make do with what they’ve got for now.
Paolo Vanoli’s side are averaging just 9.11 shots per home game this season. However, the line set by bet365 is just 8.5 so we are backing overs here. Expect Torino to have more attempts given the importance of this fixture. This bet has won in their last six home games against Juve with an average of 11.67 shots.
Juventus are conceding 10.5 shots per away game this season. Their last league game on the road saw them allow Monza to have 17 attempts.
- Selection: Over 8.5 Shots For Torino (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 1.72
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 8/10
Real Sociedad vs Villarreal : European Chase Hotting Up
Spain, La Liga, Monday, 13th January, 20:00 (UK)
This promises to be one of the more intriguing clashes in La Liga this weekend. Real Sociedad have recovered from their dismal start to the season and are up to 7th in the table. A win over Villarreal would cut the gap between the slides to just two points and could act as a springboard for the rest of the season.
Villarreal’s matches this season have been fiercely entertaining. Their matches have seen an average of 3.56 goals, the second most in the division. Their excellent attacking output has made up for some lacklustre defending and that should continue in an end-to-end fixture here.
Sociedad have been defensively sound, not affording their opponents many opportunities to let fly but that should change against a team that relies on their attack. There were 27 shots in this fixture last season.
The Yellow Submarine are averaging 14.67 shots per away game so they will make a sizeable contribution to the overall tally here. Over 24.5 shots has won in their last three head-to-heads with Sociedad with those matches averaging 31.67 shots.
European Props Acca Tips Odds via bet365 as at 13:17, January 9th, 2025. Odds may now differ.
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