We are moving into the festive period and that means the games come thick and fast in some of Europe’s top leagues. There is a full schedule of fixtures in the Premiership and the Bundesliga in midweek and here are some of the most intriguing clashes to look forward to and the odds from the best green-listed bookmakers:
Burnley v Stoke
Sean Dyche’s men nailed down their place in the top seven with victory over Watford at the weekend and should be able to keep the good times rolling against Stoke. Mark Hughes’ men were battered 5-1 by Tottenham at Wembley and will be seriously low on confidence. They have conceded more goals than any other team in the division this season and are sliding into a relegation scrap after losing four of their last five games. William Hill has 13/10 on a home win and Marathon Bet has 133/100, both of which look really attractive.
Newcastle v Everton
Two teams going in opposite directions meet at St James’s Park on Wednesday night. Newcastle started the season brightly but a lack of investment has hampered their progress and they are cascading down the table after losing five of their last six games. They lost 3-2 at home to Leicester on Saturday and they simply lack quality in every department, so it is hard for Rafa Benitez to inspire them to the results they need. Everton are much improved since Sam Allardyce lent his presence to proceedings and did well to come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against high-flying Liverpool at Anfield last time out. That followed back-to-back victories over West Ham and Huddersfield, and Everton are soaring up the table. They should have enough about them to win this one and Bwin, Bet Victor and Stan James are offering an attractive 9/4.
Tottenham v Brighton
Spurs got back to winning ways with that 5-1 thrashing of Stoke and Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min will take great encouragement from their performances. They should be able to maintain the run when they host a beleaguered Brighton, who lost 2-0 away at Huddersfield at the weekend. They have taken just two points from their last five games and seem demoralised by a 5-1 loss of their own against Liverpool a week ago. Tottenham -1.5 Asian handicap looks good at 10/13 with Bet Victor.
Bayern Munich v Koln
The biggest mismatch in German football’s top flight takes place on Wednesday when champions and league leaders Bayern Munich host bottom club Koln. The visitors lost 4-3 at home to Freiburg in a relegation six-pointer at the weekend and are now well adrift at the foot of the table. They have only taken three points all season, having lost 12, drawn three and won zero of their 15 games, and should be obliterated by Bayern. The league leaders tightened their grip at the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend and seem full of belief after beating PSG 3-1 in the Champions League. Bayern to win to nil looks great at 7/10 with Bet Victor.
Schalke v Augsburg
The visitors are in good form of late and have taken seven points from their last three games to climb up to seventh in the table. However, that run is likely to end on Wednesday as they face Schalke, the most improved team in the Bundesliga this season. Domenico Tedesco’s men are third in the standings but have drawn three games in a row as they have been sloppy at the back. Now is the time to gain three points and keep up the pressure on struggling second placed team RB Leipzig. They have the ability to win this one and are well priced at 5/6 with William Hill.
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