Yesterday was a decent day at the office. There were some unexpected results as well as some expected ones on Saturday.
For our straight win section, Arsenal and Leipzig delivered on that end but Sevilla could only play a draw while Leverkusen were stunned with another loss.
In the goal market section, three out of five played out correctly and only Real Madrid and Leipzig failed to do justice to that market.
For the goal-scorer section, it was less impressive as only Kane found the back of the net but it was a pretty decent day altogether.
There are games lying in wait today particularly from the Serie A where all games for this game-week will all take place today.
As we normally do, we’ll be giving you the best picks from today’s games.
Featured match: Chelsea vs Manchester City Prediction
Two giants of the English game kick off 2021 with a bang on Sunday afternoon as Chelsea welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge for a mouth-watering showdown.
Both teams have accrued 26 points heading into their first match of the New Year, although the visitors do have two games in hand and have enjoyed a far better spell of form than their weekend opponents.
Chelsea’s last match of 2020 saw the Blues held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa, while a coronavirus-hit Manchester City last took to the pitch on Boxing Day in their comfortable victory over Newcastle United.
Chelsea are on a poor run of form with only one win from their last six games while Manchester City are unbeaten in that time frame. However, form goes out the drain in these kind of games and it remains uncertain how this game would play out.
It could be a game of who takes their chances the most but another loss for Chelsea could be bad news and for Frank Lampard at this stage of the season.
Both Teams to Score
Manchester City are missing a number of players due to coronavirus but we still expect they’ll put out a strong lineup. Recent form of both sides means we can’t exactly point at a winner but we expect them to take it to themselves and that could translate to goals at both ends. Bet9ja has 1.58 odds, Betway have 1.64 and1XBet has 1.66 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
Chelsea have struggled to keep clean sheets of late which led to our above prediction and we’re also expecting a good number of goals as well. The fragile nature of both teams at the moment could see an open game and anyone who capitalizes could as well score a good number of goals. Bet9ja have 1.72, Betway has 1.75 odds and 1xbet has 1.83.
Straight Wins
Leicester will be aiming to return to third place when they take on Newcastle at St. James’ Park. The Foxes have played out to stalemates in their last two games and they have a perfect opportunity to return to winning ways against a side who are without a win in their last four league outings. We’re tipping Leicester to win this one. Bet9ja have 1.65, Betway has 1.64 and 1xbet have 1.66 odds.
Off to the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will be aiming to regain top spot when they welcome a struggling Mainz side who are one form bottom of the table. Mainz have only one win all season and three losses from their last five league games. We’re expecting this match to be a stroll in the park for the reigning European champions. The bookmakers are offering 1.20 odds for this.
Over to the Serie A, Inter welcome Crotone to San Siro as they aim to keep their push on rivals AC Milan at the top of the table. The Nerazzurri are the most in-form side in the Serie A with five wins from their last five games and they will likely stroll past Crotone who are 19th on the table with only two wins all season. Bet9ja have 1.18, Betway has 1.20 and 1xbet have 1.22 odds.
Elsewhere, top of the table AC Milan travel to the Stadio Ciro Vigorito to take on Benevento who have been decent all season. It might not be an easy game but we expect Milan to topple their opponents and keep their charge in search of a Serie A triumph they last witnessed in 2011. Bet9ja have 1.65, Betway has 1.65 and 1xbet have 1.67 odds.
Finally, we’re off to La Liga where Barcelona take on bottom of the table Huesca in their first game of 2021. The Catalan giants have been inconsistent on domestic front all season but we can’t help but see them winning this one to move up to fourth place on the standings. Bet9ja have 1.40, Betway has 1.41 and 1xbet have 1.43 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
AS Roma take on Sampdoria in the Serie A and we’re tipping that game to see at least three goals. Both sides have good scoring records this season and we expect it to come through. Bet9ja have 1.44, Betway have 1.46 and 1xbet have 1.48 odds.
Elsewhere, we already tipped Bayern Munich to beat Mainz and we also have a hunch it could be a high-scoring affair. We don’t need to explain this one out as the reasons for this tip are more than obvious. Bet9ja have 1.15, Betway have 1.18 and 1xbet have 1.18 odds.
In similar fashion, we’ve tipped Inter Milan to beat Crotone and we can see a comprehensive win for Antonio Conte’s men as well. As earlier mentioned, they are the most in-form Serie A side at the moment and that applies to their goals as well. Bet9ja have 1.35, Betway have 1.38 and 1xbet have 1.39 odds.
Still in the Serie A, Atalanta welcomes Sassuolo to their home turf in what would be an interesting clash. The form of both sides makes it difficult to predict a winner but it’s safe to say that could be a high-scoring game on the cards. Bet9ja have 1.40, Betway have 1.40 and 1xbet have 1.42 odds.
Finally, we travel back to La Liga where we already tipped Barca to win and we’re also backing them to score a good number of goals given the opposition. Barcelona might have some injuries at the moment but that shouldn’t stop them from dispatching Huesca with ease and with a good number of goals to go with. Bet9ja have 1.46, Betway have 1.47 and 1xbet have 1.50 odds
Anytime Goal-scorer
Lewandowski
Lewandowski had a phenomenal 2020 and he has been on similar form this season as well. He needs no explanation why he would get on the score-sheet and his nickname ‘Lewan-goal-ski’ explains it all. Bet9ja have 1.23 odds and Betway have theirs at 1.27.
Messi
The Argentine was rested for Barca’s last game of 2020 where they played out to a draw. He’ll be looking to fire his side to their first win of the year as he gets back into the squad. We’re tipping him to score as well. Bet9ja have 2.00 odds while Betway have 1.68 odds.
Lukaku
Lukaku has impressed so far this season with 11 goals to his name and only one behind Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been a consistent source of goals for Antonio Conte and he’ll fancy his chances at getting a goal against a side low on confidence with one of the worst defences in the league as it stands. Bet9ja have 1.55 odds and Betway have 1.51.Ronaldo Despite his age at 35, he continues to impress against all odds and is currently the top scorer in the Serie A atm. 12 goals to his name already and we’re tipping him to add even more against Udinese today. Bet9ja have 1.60 odds and Betway have it better at 1.71 odds.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.