With no La Liga action this weekend, the pick of the matches on the continent come from Germany and Italy, with plenty of exciting clashes taking place in the Bundesliga and Serie A respectively.
We have studied the European coupon for Saturday to put together a mouthwatering treble which includes a win for AC Milan which they will have to work hard for.
- AC Milan to win and Both Teams to Score
- Mainz to win
- Borussia Dortmund to win
Rossoneri Can Rally To Win
AC Milan’s impressive run of 10 wins from their last 13 league matches - a sequence which includes just one defeat - has seen them make second spot their own in Serie A. City rivals Inter look too far ahead to catch, but the Rossoneri can assert their place as Italy’s second-best side by extending their winning run to five games against Lecce on Saturday.
However, they may have to work hard to do so as the reverse fixture saw them held to a 2-2 draw, and the Giallorossi should be backed to breach Milan again.
Lecce have already scored twice at Fiorentina this term while also nicking a goal at Roma, highlighting their ability to trouble the big boys on their day.
But despite their ability to score, they look unlikely to take the three points. Their last eight away games have yielded six losses and just a single win, with that victory coming against basement boys Salernitana.
Lecce have proven to be a bit of a bogey team for Milan in recent years though, with three of the last five clashes between the pair finishing level, suggesting that they should have enough to find the net in defeat on Saturday, especially as Stefano Pioli’s men have looked vulnerable at the back lately.
The Rossoneri have conceded when winning each of their last three games, against Slavia Prague, Fiorentina and lowly Verona respectively, suggesting their backline is not as watertight as it once was. Six of their last 10 matches at San Siro have seen both sides find the net and Lecce will pull motivation from that fact.
Given both teams have scored in four of the last five meetings between Milan and Lecce, it could prove profitable to back the same outcome alongside a victory for Pioli’s men when the two clash this weekend.
AC MILAN TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
Mainz May Prevail In must-Win
The Bundesliga relegation race is looking extremely tight, with Mainz only six points off complete safety but in desperate need of results. Luckily for Bo Henriksen and his side, they have a great opportunity to do so as they take on basement boys Darmstadt, whose winless run in the Bundesliga recently hit 20 games, this weekend.
Die Lillien have been rooted to the foot of the table for the majority of the season, with an 8-0 thrashing at Bayern Munich one of many lowlights in a miserable campaign, and it is very difficult to see them getting anything at the Mewa Arena.
Mainz have demonstrated some solid form at home lately, avoiding defeat in their last four matches on their own patch in a run which has included victories to nil over Augsburg and Bochum, and they look set to enhance their chances of survival will simultaneously crushing Darmstadt’s slim hopes of staying up in the process.
Darmstadt failed to beat Bochum in their last game, a side who Mainz brushed aside 2-0 while racking up 2.60 expected goals to VFL’s 0.72, suggesting they are set for a familiar feeling of defeat on Saturday.
Henriksen’s men were dominant in that clash with Bochum and followed up with a solid 0-0 draw with top-four chasing RB Leipzig last weekend, hinting that they will be far too strong for the Bundesliga’s basement boys.
Dortmund To Build On Der Klassiker Success
Borussia Dortmund earned a well-deserved Der Klassiker victory over Bayern Munich last weekend and the Bundesliga’s fourth-placed club can build on that by beating another of the sides above them, Stuttgart, on Saturday.
BVB have enjoyed an excellent 2024, winning nine of their 13 games this year and all of their last five, so they can take care of a Stuttgart sie that needed a 98th-minute equaliser from Deniz Undav to rescue a point at home to mid-table Heidenheim in their latest match.
Dortmund’s impressive run has seen them beat PSV, who have lost just once in the Eredivisie all season, and Eintracht Frankfurt, who are one of the Bundesliga’s most in-form teams and are firmly in the hunt for a top-six finish.
Stuttgart may have won the reverse fixture but Dortmund have come on leaps and bounds since then, while Sebastian Hoeness’ men have staggered a bit, especially on their travels where they have lost four of their last eight in a run which has included plenty of disappointing defeats.
A 1-0 loss to relegation-threatened Bochum was a lowlight in Stuttgart’s otherwise impressive season but it did showcase their naivety and inexperience as a side in a title race.
Dortmund have been here plenty of times and it would be no surprise to see Edin Terzic’s men usurp Die Roten and pinch third place. A win on Saturday would see BVB move to within one point of Stuttgart, and that fact could motivate the hosts and fire up a typically raucous Yellow Wall.
The last meeting between the pair at Signal Iduna Park saw Dortmund run out 5-0 victors in 2022 and they should prove to be too strong for their visitors once again. The January loan signings of Ian Maatsen and especially Jadon Sancho have proved to be inspired pieces of business and BVB’s fine form can continue on Saturday.
