This Sunday’s Euro 2020 Qualifier in Haifa comes from Group G. It sees two sides who will at least view qualification as a possibility meet, although both Israel and Austria are still awaiting their first victories after one game. Defeat for either here would leave them with a huge amount of work to do over the rest of the campaign.
Israel drew 1-1 at home to Slovenia in their opening match on Thursday night. It was a reasonable start but they would have been keen to win one of their opening two fixtures with home advantage so they’ll be gunning for three points here. Poland are the favourites to win this group which could potentially leave as many as four teams jostling for 2nd.
Austria will certainly expect to be one of those sides and they did make it to the most recent European Championship in 2016. However they’ve declined badly since then, making little impact on World Cup Qualifying while they finished 2nd to Bosnia in their Nations League group. Their bid to reach Euro 2020 started with a 1-0 home defeat to Poland on Thursday, which really ramps up the pressure on them here.
This promises to be a pretty even game but there isn’t any significant reason to fancy either to win it. Israel have only won 4 of their last 15 internationals. Their recent record in home qualifiers is poor with their only victories since 2014 coming against minnows Liechtenstein and Andorra. They have been more impressive at home in recent games, seeing off Albania and Scotland in the Nations League and their draw against Slovenia suggests they can get something out of what should be a comparable test.
In their last trip to the Emirates, Manchester United picked a 3 – 1 win in an FA Cup clash while the first leg meeting between the two sides, at Old Trafford, ended 2 – 2. Arsenal ceded ground in the top four race after drawing with Tottenham Hotspurs in their last match, in which Pierre Emerick Aubameyang missed a late penalty and they will be keen not to fall to United, who needed a late goal to see off Southampton in their most recent league game and are coming from an impressive win over PSG in the Champions League. In seven matches against the four sides ahead of them in the league standings, Arsenal have managed just one win, and they have picked six points in the process. They are unbeaten in their last four games – three wins and a draw – but they will be banking more on their home form in this game, having picked eight straight wins in their league games at the Emirates Stadium and are unbeaten in the last 14. Their only home loss in the league this season has come against Manchester City and they will be looking to hold on to that. Arsenal have only dropped points at home to Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, matches that ended 1 – 1. Manchester United, on the other hand, are unbeaten in 16 of their last 17 matches and have nine straight away wins. They have scored two goals or more in the last four matches away from home and with Arsenal managing just three clean sheets in the last nine home matches, United will be hoping to spread their dominance here. Manchester United are unbeaten in four matches against Arsenal and in the last 10 meetings they have picked four wins over Arsenal, who have managed three wins.
Fenerbahce have managed just six wins in the 24 league matches played this season and it has to be their worst ever this one. They go to this clash a massive 26 points below league leaders Basaksehir and will have a real test of their survival credentials when they face the side that has so far managed 10 wins more than them, and lost just two league matches, compared to Fenerbahce’s 10. A win here could see Fenerbahce leap to 10th place, but that will be dependent on the other weekend results. Fenerbahce have not been the best side to bank on this season when playing away from home, they have no win in the last five away games and this season, out of 19 matches away from home, they have managed just two wins. Basaksehir on the other hand are unbeaten in their last five outings and have five wins in the run. They have seven wins in the last 10 league matches and are unbeaten in the process, the other three matches having ended in draws, and they have five clean sheets in their last six home matches in the league. Three of the last six meetings between the two sides have ended in draws, Fenerbahce have two wins and Basaksehir one. The two sides have met 24 times, with Basaksehir winning nine and Fenerbahce 11.
Liverpool picked an impressive win, thrashing Watford 5 – 0 at Anfield, to return to winning ways after two straight draws. Crucially, they maintained their good defensive run and will head to the derby with four straight clean sheets and unbeaten in the last eight matches. In the last 15 matches, Liverpool have lost just two and won nine. Everton on the other hand, have three losses and two wins in their last five matches and they are on two straight home losses going to this clash. They have just one win in their last seven league matches at Goodison Park. Liverpool will clearly be favorites here but their away run lately has been a worry, with the team on one win in the last five away matches, but they are unbeaten in the last three away league games, drawing two and winning one. Liverpool are unbeaten in 18 matches against Everton but The Toffees have forced some humiliating draws therein and Liverpool will be keen to avoid such here, lest they are overtaken by Manchester City.
Real Madrid an cut the gap at the top of La Liga to 6 points with a win here and anything less will probably end any hope they have of winning the Spanish league this season. 4 of their last 5 games in La Liga have seen both teams score and this one should be an open game seeing what's at stake. 5 of the last 6 La Liga meetings between these two power houses of Spanish football have also seen both teams score so BTTS seems likely here.
Two El Clasico matches in a week means it's a massive week in Spanish football. The weekend's La Liga clash is of course far more important as Real bid to close the nine-point gap between the two teams. It's a lot closer in the Copa del Rey though as Real Madrid host Barcelona after drawing the away leg 1-1. Real won 2-1 away at Levante on Sunday thanks to a Gareth Bale penalty 12 minutes from time They continue to be inconsistent with four wins and shock defeats by Real Sociedad and Girona this year.
Barcelona are undefeated in their last eight games and had a good, but tough 4-2 win at Seville on Saturday with Lionel Messi scoring yet another hat-trick. Only two of their last 16 away games have been lost as they bid to win three trophies this season. Surprisingly this is the first time the two sides have met in the Copa del Rey since the 2013/14 final. Barcelona beat Real 5-1 at home earlier in the season, a similar result is unlikely and of course both teams may play weakened sides. A bet on over 2.5 goals to be scored looks the best bet.
Matches between Besiktas and Fenerbahce are rarely as fiery as the ones pitting Galatasaray but we still expect fireworks here, as Fenerbahce looks to rise further away from the relegation zone while Besiktas are seeking the three points to help them close in on second placed Galatasaray as they look to secure a Champions League slot. Fenerbahce have a tough run of matches coming their way with league leaders Basaksehir also in the horizon and they know their best bet is to pick points in this game, as they sit outside the drop zone just by goal difference. With just two wins in the last 10 league matches, and five all season in the league, Fenerbahce, who finished second last season, will not walk into this game inspiring much hope, but they are known to come around at the big stage. Still, facing a Besiktas side unbeaten in their last five matches will prove a tough test for Fenerbahce. Besiktas have lost just two of their last 54 home matches in the league. This season, they have six wins and two losses in the 10 home league matches they have played. However, they have beaten Fenerbahce just once in the last nine meetings and lost four. Head to head, in 282 meetings, Besiktas have 103 wins and Fenerbahce 100.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer won the FA Cup twice when playing for Manchester United and now he continues his bid to win it as their manager. He's won seven out of seven since becoming their interim manager but can he make it eight in a row as they travel to Arsenal in the fourth round? United have won the FA Cup 12 times but their opponents have been victorious a record 13 times (non-league Kettering Town have scored most goals though). United do look a different team since the arrival of Solksjaer but still struggle to keep clean sheets with only one in their last 12 league and cup games. Up against an attacking Arsenal side on their home territory it's hard to see their still fragile defence keep a clean sheet.
Arsenal improved their chances of making it into the top four in the Premier League with a 2-0 home win over Chelsea last weekend. Now they turn their attention to the FA Cup with the target of winning it for the 14th time. They have won three of their last four league and cup games and six of the last seven at home. Only one of their last 28 home league and cup games have been lost but United won on their last visit to the Emirates. This should be a great game and it'll be interesting to see what line-ups are chosen. Go for over 2.5 goals to be scored in this game.
We're down to the semi-finals of the Portuguese League Cup as Benfica host Porto. This is a match between the top two teams in the Primeira League with leaders Porto being the visitors in this one-leg last four tie. Benfica won Group A of this tournament finishing two points clear of Aves. They have only lost one of their last 13 games in all competitions and won four in a row since losing away to Portimonense. This game takes place on Braga's home ground where the final will also be held on January 26.
Porto lead the Primeira League by five points and are unbeaten in 21 league games since a defeat by Benfica in October. Of those 21 games, 19 have been won over 90 minutes with a draw against Sporting and an extra time victory in the Portuguese Cup. Nine of the last 11 games between these two sides have seen under 2.5 goals scored. That includes a goalless draw in the Portuguese League Cup five years ago that went to penalties. The tip here is for under 2.5 goals to be scored.
After a poor start to the season, Cardiff City are out of the relegation zone and two points clear of the bottom three. They still lack a degree of consistency but some good home results and finally an away win has given them a good chance of avoiding relegation. They won three straight home league games but have lost the last two. However, those two games were against Manchester United and Tottenham, not the kind of games they are expected to win. Huddersfield at home is top of the list of games they have to win and victory here would take them 11 points clear of the league's bottom team.
Huddersfield Town are in appalling form at present and they look doomed to relegation. They have only scored 13 league goals this season and the January transfer window has yet to see them sign a player who will cure their goal-scoring problem. Huddersfield have lost their last eight league games and just like Cardiff, were knocked out of the FA Cup by a lower league team. It's a critical time for Huddersfield as after this game they take on Manchester City, Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal. Their days in this league are numbered unless they can cause some shocks in the next few weeks. Cardiff can be backed to get the three points here.
Manchester City recovered from their recent slump with an expected win over Southampton, which kept their chances of winning the title alive, even though they remain seven points behind Liverpool. The opening match between the two sides ended barren, with Riyad Mahrez missing a penalty just days after joining City from Leicester and it will be interesting to see how City approach the game when playing at home against the only unbeaten side in the season, who come from an impressive 5 – 1 win over fifth placed Arsenal. It has been a torrid run for City and they will be happy to see the festive period behind them, having lost thrice in the last five league matches, a run that also saw them drop to second place. Liverpool have picked eight straight wins with five clean sheets therein and though playing away from home, they will hold a big threat. Manchester City have scored in 17 of their last 18 matches across all competitions but have no clean sheet in the last 10 matches, which they will need to massively improve on as they head to face a Liverpool side that has scored two or more in six of the last seven matches. This clash has a promise of lots of goals; the two sides have scored a combined 102 goals this season but incredibly, Liverpool, with the best defence in the season, have conceded just eight in 20 matches. City have let in twice that number and we don’t expect that they will bank a lot on their back line. It will be more of an attacking strategy for the champions. Liverpool have picked eight wins and two draws in their 10 away matches in the league this season, only drawing at Chelsea and Arsenal. Liverpool are unbeaten in four matches against Manchester City, winning three and drawing one. In 164 meetings between the two, Liverpool have won 79 and City 43.
League leaders and reigning champions Celtic will travel across the Clyde river as they visit arch rivals Rangers, who will host them at Ibrox.
It’s been a hectic few months at Ibrox. The appointment of Steven Gerrard at the end of last season brought a lot of hope to Rangers going into the new campaign. The ex-Liverpool legend has made a wide variety of changes at the club, most noticeably the huge amount of players that were brought to Glasgow over the summer.
It’s been a rocky December for the club. The Gers returned to 2nd place and overtaking Aberdeen in the process, but they still trail Celtic by three points and already having played a game more than the Hoops.
It’s been a fantastic year for Celtic. Brendan Rodgers guided his side to yet another treble following his invincible debut season as the Hoops’ manager, extending the club’s unbeaten run to 69 matches.
Old Firm, there will be a fight, blood, but Celtic will win
The second game this Friday in La Liga is a Basque derby at Real Sociedad’s Anoeta. Alaves are the visitors hoping to avenge two defeats against La Real last term. It is the visitors who are having the better season overall but on paper, they have less all-round quality than their regional rivals and they are still the clear underdogs heading into this match.
This is a pretty tough game to call. It’s hard to see any value in backing Sociedad at around 3/4 given they average just 0.86 points per home game this term. Only Huesca have picked up fewer home points and Sociedad were beaten by newly promoted Real Valladolid in their most recent outing on home soil. A 1-0 defeat at Getafe last weekend was their latest setback so confidence is unlikely to be high in the home camp.
The local derby aspect adds an extra bit of spice and overall a fairly scrappy game looks likely between two sides that won’t be particularly high on belief. Backing the Draw could be the best move in the Full-Time Result market.
Liverpool come into this game on the back of emotionally draining game against elite European opponents, though Klopp's team will be buoyant after securing their passage to the UCL stages. United arrive at Anfield with a record of being unbeaten in the last 4 visits including back to back 0-0 draws, & 3 wins in the last 6. Liverpool have struggled to score, failing to score in the last 3 derbies and failing to net more than over 1.5 goals. United have been sloppy yet Mourinho's team can score on the road, 6/8 of their PL games have seen them net over 1.5 goals.
Form as well as style of play are contrasting to say the least. No love lost between these two sides. Under pressure Jose I can see parking the bus.
Mourinho can surprise us, why not do it again? All against him
In their last 28 Premiership matches, Celtic FC have lost three times. The last time they lost, it was against Rangers. They are unbeaten in their last 10 home matches in Premiership, and have managed to keep clean sheets in 20 of their last 26 home league games. Celtic FC have led at HT/FT in nine of their last 11 home Premiership games and have scored at least two goals in nine of their 10 most recent home games in the Premiership. They take on a Rangers side that is winless in the last four matches, and without a clean sheet too. Rangers are unbeaten in eight Premiership matches, winning five of them and away from home they have one loss in 11 Premiership matches. Their recent win over Celtic was the first in 16 matches against their archrivals and the first time they managed to score against Celtic in four matches. Both sides have scored in just one of the last seven, with Celtic dominating affairs. This will be the 95th meeting between the two sides, with Celtic having managed 43 wins in the previous 94, and Rangers 32 wins.