The El Clasico and Our Tips for Around Europe This Weekend

One of the biggest fixtures on the football calendar, the El Clasico, sees the two greatest clubs in Spain collide on Saturday as Real Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Spanish capital. Both teams will be hungry to take all three points from their rivals in a derby – being played at Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stefano training ground due to the ongoing renovations at the Bernabeu – that is hugely significant on the La Liga title race. Both sides are hot on the tail of the league leaders Atletico, with Real three points below and Barca just two adrift.

The El Clasico sides have both been in inspired form recently, with Los Blancos winning their last five games in all competitions, including the 3-1 quarter-final win over Liverpool in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday. On the other hand, Ronald Koeman’s Barca have won their last six consecutive league games.

There’s likely to be goals when these two go at it, and we can see the Catalonians prevailing, Especially when you take into consideration the absence of captain Sergio Ramos as well as Raphael Varane for Madrid, leaving Zinedine Zidane’s side with no first-choice centre-back.

This will surely inviter Lionel Messi to cause havoc – not that he needs any inspiration. The odds are 5/2 for both teams to score and Barcelona to win.

After falling to a defeat last weekend against their title rivals, RB Leipzig travel to Werder Bremen looking for a response and to keep up with Bayern Munich. The pressure will be on them to get a win over a struggling Werder Bremen side that have lost three league games on the bounce.

The Red Bulls are in need of all three points themselves this weekend, after falling seven behind the Bavarians following the 1-0 defeat last weekend. The loss was Julien Nagelsmann’s side’s first defeat in their last nine Bundesliga games.

Another loss, albeit, a surprise one on Saturday, could even see them fall behind Wolfsburg in the league table, who are just three points behind. Despite losing three of their last six in the Bundesliga, Florian Kohfeldt’s men have still scored seven goals, including the consolation in the 3-1 home defeat to Bayern in March. Bremen are capable of getting on the scoresheet, but Leipzig should be too hot to handle and should claim another win to stay on hunt of the defending champions.

The odd are 9/4 for Leipzig to win with both teams getting on the scoresheet.

Inter Milan are cruising at the top of Serie A, as Antonio Conte looks to win the Scudetto with his side and break the nine-year title-winning streak by Juventus that he himself started back in 2012. The Nerazzurri’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo on Wednesday was their tenth straight victory in the Italian league, an incredible run that has put them 11 points clear of second-placed AC Milan going into the weekend. Conte’s side can stretch their huge lead even further with a win over Cagliari to carry on their rampant form on Sunday.

The visitors to the San Siro on Sunday morning are a Cagliari side that have lost three in a row. The Sardinia outfit have dropped into the relegation zone, two points from safety. The Islanders have managed just two goals in their last three games, all of which ended in defeat against Juventus, Spezia and Verona. They’ll find it even trickier against a team that is as defensively sound as Antonio Conte’s Inter.

Odds are 11/10 for Inter to win to nil against Cagliari.

Paris Saint-Germain are in need of a win this weekend in the Ligue 1, after being beaten by their title challengers, Lille, last weekend. They face a Strasbourg side that are seven points clear of the drop zone. The champions will be on cloud nine after that magnificent win against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in that thrilling tie at the Allianz Arena.

They now have to carry that into their league game on Sunday afternoon after dropping three points below Lille last time out. Strasbourg picked up a win last time out against Bordeaux, moving them up to 13th in the table. The 3-2 victory put an end to consecutive losses after losing away to Rennes then at home to RC Lens.

Kylian Mbappe showed the world once again his immense talent during the week, scoring twice in the Munich triumph. It takes his tally up to 30 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions this season.

The odds are for the 22-year-old to add another to that tally and help his team to victory with a goal.

The Gunners look to stay in with a shout of finishing in a Europa League spot in the Premier League when they travel to a doomed Sheffield United on Sunday. Arsenal sit in tenth in the league, seven points behind Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in sixth and seventh.

Mikel Arteta’s side will look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League after a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool last weekend. The north London outfit face a Sheffield United side at the weekend who have had an abysmal few weeks as their hopes of a great escape flounder. The Blades have lost seven of their last eight games in all competitions, a period which has seen them score just two goals.

Odds are 11/8 for Arsenal to pile more misery on Sheffield United after their barren run, winning at Bramall Lane and keeping a clean sheet.

By Jordan Edmonds