The Business End: What's the state of play across Europe & 207/1 acca
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
We are well into business end of the season across Europe now and with all of Europe’s major leagues set to wrap up inside the next month I thought I’d take a look at what is left to play for on the continent.
The title is still up for grabs in three of the top five European leagues and there’s plenty left to play for across the continent, so let’s take a look at what’s what.
207/1 European outrights accumulator
English Premier League
With teams having between four and six matches still to play, the Premier League retains three areas of particular interest.
At the top of the table there is just a point between the two outstanding teams of the division, with Manchester City 2/5 to retain the title.
The race for a top four spot is largely focused around Arsenal (1/2) and Tottenham (11/8). The Gunners are two points clear of their north London rivals but still have to visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, although Spurs’ trip to Anfield could put a premature end to their hopes of Champions League football.
Watford and Norwich are almost certain to be relegated but the final spot still hangs in the balance thanks to Burnley’s recent resurgence. Everton have a game in hand on the Clarets but are in atrocious form right now, lagging behind by two points and facing a home match against Chelsea this weekend.
Leeds aren’t quite out of the woods, either. The Whites are only five points clear of the drop zone and their next three games pit them against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Best bet – Everton to be relegated at 1/1
Spanish La Liga
With five games remaining and a 15-point lead over Barcelona, Real Madrid can seal the La Liga title with a point against Espanyol this weekend but the race for Champions League football is still on.
Barcelona, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid occupy the rest of the top four positions but even Barca are just eight points clear of sixth-placed Real Sociedad with five games left to play, so it’s far from over for any of these teams.
However, once again the relegation positions hold the most intrigue. Levante and Alaves look to be on their way down but 18th-placed Granada are only five points off Getafe in 15th.
Granada have a relatively easy run in but Cadiz, who sit just a point inside the safe zone, could be in real danger. They have trips to Sevilla and Real Sociedad to contend with before a home match against Real Madrid.
Best bet – Cadiz to be relegated at 6/5
Italian Serie A
The title battle in Italy is as close as they come with as many as four teams still in with a chance of lifting the scudetto.
The two Milan clubs are the frontrunners, with AC Milan leading the way by two points ahead of Inter – who wasted the chance to move into top spot on Wednesday as they went down 2-1 at Bologna. Napoli and Juventus are seven and eight points adrift respectively, but the Rossoneri have a very tough run in as all four of their remaining fixtures come against top-half sides.
The top four is all-but settled, although just below that a fierce battle for Europe is being fought with just four points between fifth-placed Roma and eighth-placed Atalanta.
Once again, the relegation positions are an intriguing prospect. Venezia look destined for Serie B but both Genoa and Salernitana are just three points off safety and Sampdoria could still be dragged into the relegation battle.
Best bet – Inter Milan to win Serie A at 10/11
German Bundesliga
Bayern Munich have already wrapped up a tenth consecutive Bundesliga title but there are only six points between Bayer Leverkusen in third and Cologne in seventh so the top four battle is looking feisty.
Bayer Leverkusen have the toughest run-in as they face three top-half sides, although Eintracht Frankfurt will likely be focusing in their Europa League semi-final. Fifth-placed Freiburg – who face Leverkusen on the final day – also have a difficult final few weeks but RB Leipzig should easily make the grade even with their European commitments.
Union Berlin face the relegated Greuther Furth and 13th-placed Bochum either side of a trip to Freiburg, so they actually look solid value at 12/1.
Down at the bottom it is looking fairly predictable, with Greuther Furth already relegated and the only other realistic movement being a possible switch between Arminia Bielefeld in 17th and Stuttgart in 16th, which is a relegation playoff spot. Hertha Berlin could still be dragged into the relegation battle but they have found some form of late and the two teams below them are still suffering terrible results.
Best bet – Union Berlin to finish in the top 4 at 12/1
French Ligue 1
PSG have sealed the Ligue 1 title with four games to spare and Marseille have a six-point cushion before dropping out of the Champions League qualification spots.
The race for the third – the final Champions League spot – is tight, though. Rennes lead Monaco on goal difference but Nice and Strasbourg are two and three points behind respectively, and even seventh-placed Lens aren’t out of the equation.
On paper, Nice have the easiest run-in but their next two games come against relegation-threatened sides while most of Monaco’s remaining opponents have little to play for. The Monegasques are in excellent form to boot having won six consecutive league matches, while all three of their rivals have lost at least once this month. I’m backing Monaco to secure a Champions League berth.
The relegation picture is wide open and potentially huge as two of France’s biggest clubs – St Etienne and Bordeaux – are in serious danger of going down.
Angers, who are up in 14th, are still only four points clear of the relegation playoff but the team occupying that position, St Etienne, have one of the hardest run-ins of all Ligue 1 teams and 19th-placed Bordeaux are four points behind them.
Best bet – Monaco to finish in the top 3 at 10/11
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