What a strange season! If someone had told you last August that Manchester United would root for their City neighbours, or that Arsenal would root for Tottenham, you’d have laughed them out of the room. However, that’s exactly where the title race has taken us. With the season drawing to a close, Manchester City travel to Spurs in need of a win if they wish to retain their league title. Over in Italy, Atalanta and Juventus face off in the Coppa Italia final, while newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions, Al-Hilal visit Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. Here’s our preview of what to expect this midweek. Our Picks:
**Tottenham vs. Manchester City** Arsenal’s recent victory at Old Trafford has injected an intense dose of drama into the title race, with the Gunners now sitting atop the table, albeit having played one more game than Manchester City. To maintain their position heading into the final day, they’re relying on a favour from their fierce rivals, Tottenham. Manchester City’s journey to North London has produced mixed results over the years. While they’ve found success in visits to Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur has consistently proven to be tough opponents on their home turf. Pep Guardiola’s side has suffered four consecutive defeats away at Tottenham over the last four seasons, failing to score in each of those encounters. In fact, Guardiola’s six league defeats to Spurs during his time in England stand as the most he has suffered against any specific opponent. Obviously, there are people who believe Spurs will purposely throw the game to spite Arsenal, but we highly doubt that, as Tottenham still have their own aspirations at stake—a European spot. Currently positioned for a Europa League berth, they have the potential to secure a spot in next year’s Champions League or Europa Conference League depending on results. It’s improbable they would jeopardise these opportunities solely to stick it to Arsenal. Manchester City may see this Tuesday’s fixture as an opportune moment to break their Tottenham curse. With an impressive seven-game winning streak, they’ve seen unlikely heroes emerge, such as Josko Gvardiol, who has made significant contributions in the attacking third with four goals and an assist in the last five league matches. Moreover, City have already tasted victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 1-0 win in the FA Cup 4th Round. Now, they just have to do it in the league. Betting Tips
**Real Madrid vs. Alaves** If you need proof of Real Madrid’s impressive squad depth, look no further than Saturday’s 4-0 win at Granada. With the league title already in the bag and a championship parade planned for Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti rested 9 of his preferred Starting XI. Yet, Los Blancos put up a dominant display with 2 goals in either half. The overwhelming expectation is that Alaves will put up a better fight than the already-relegated Granada did on Saturday. However, in front of their home fans, it’s hard to see anything besides a Real Madrid win, especially with rotated players vying for inclusion in the upcoming Champions League final. Alaves has one of the best defenses in LaLiga. Their 40 goals conceded has them ranked 5th in the league, higher than 2nd and 3rd placed Girona and Barcelona. When they played Real Madrid back in December, It took a 92nd minute Lucas Vazquez goal to give Los Blancos all three points in a slim 1-0 win. So, we do think it’ll be yet another tight contest. But we’ll once again lean on a Real Madrid win. With 16 wins in their last 18 meetings with Alaves, it’s a fixture that has historically gone their way. Also, with a remarkable unbeaten streak of 29 league games, they can equal their club record set in 1989. Betting Tips
**Atalanta vs. Juventus [Coppa Italia Final]** Gian Piero Gasperini has had a week to remember, and he’s hoping to cap it off with some silverware - the first of an impressive, but underrated managerial career. On Thursday, his side grabbed a ticket to the final of the Europa League, thanks to a 3-0 win over Marseille. Then, on Sunday night, Charles De Ketelaere’s brace saw them seal a 2-1 win over AS Roma, bringing them within touching distance of a return to the Champions League. Now, they can create history by winning the Coppa Italia for only the second time in club history, after lifting it back in 1963. Atalanta are no strangers to this stage of the tournament, having reached the finals in 2019 and 2021 (which they lost to Juventus). Heading into this game, though, they fancy their chances, seeing as Juventus has struggled for form in recent weeks. The Old Lady has been left without a win in 6 games across all competitions, losing the 2nd leg of the Coppa Italia to Lazio (though advancing on aggregate), while drawing each of their last 5 Serie A games, which has seen them slip to fourth place in the standings. Over the weekend, they needed a 91st minute equaliser at home to rescue a point against already-relegated Salernitana, leaving fans scratching their heads in confusion. Nevertheless, they’re still an Italian powerhouse and go into this as slight favourites. Their top scorer in the tournament, Arkadiusz Milik, will be eager to contribute on Wednesday. Despite limited playing time, Milik has found the net seven times across all competitions, with four goals coming in the Coppa Italia. His late goal against Lazio was instrumental in sending Juventus through to the final and he’ll be chomping at the bit to score again. There’s been little to separate both sides this season. Both league meetings ended in draws, leading us to believe we could have yet another tight contest on our hands. Yet, there’s a sense of destiny surrounding Gian Piero Gasperini’s quest to finally claim a well-deserved trophy. My bet of the day is firmly placed on his Atalanta side to seize the moment and lift the trophy. Betting Tips
**Brighton & Hove vs. Chelsea** Four wins and a draw in their last six league games has seen Chelsea move up to 7th in the Premier League, putting them in contention for a European spot next season. The Blues have been impressive in 2024, accumulating 29 points, a tally surpassed only by Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool in the calendar year. Although it has taken some time for Pochettino’s plans to fully materialise, Chelsea’s recent performances suggest they are starting to showcase the potential of what is yet to come, even if they are still a work in progress. On the other hand, Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side has struggled to replicate last season’s success, which saw them achieve their highest-ever finish of 6th place in the Premier League. A combination of injuries, fixture congestion, and other factors has left them looking like a shadow of their former selves. Having won the reverse fixture by a 3-2 scoreline, as well as an EFL Cup 3rd Round tie (1-0), Chelsea will aim to make it 3 wins in 3 against the Seagulls this season, by capitalising on Brighton’s poor form. Betting Tips
**Manchester United vs. Newcastle United** Man Utd showed some slight improvement in their defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. Having suffered a humbling 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Monday, the fans demanded a response, and they gave one… well, sort of. I mean, they lost. The Red Devils had possession of the ball for longer and more attempts on goal, though some would argue that the Gunners were comfortable with their 1-0 lead, and didn’t mind pushing for another goal. That said, with over 14 first team players, including captain Bruno Fernandes, still unavailable for selection due to injuries, Newcastle are heavy favourites ahead of this game. Since suffering elimination in the FA Cup in mid-March, the Magpies have been on a fine scoring form, finding the back of the net in 7 of their last 8 league games. In that stretch, they’ve scored 20 goals, while scoring 4 or more goals in 4 games. PFA Player of the Year nominee, Alexander Isak has scored 20 league goals, the best return of his senior career, while Anthony Gordon has provided valuable support with 10 assists. Given Man Utd’s form and injury woes, it’s only logical to lean towards a Newcastle win. Eddie Howe’s men have already beaten the Red Devils twice this season, including a convincing 3-0 win when they visited Old Trafford in the EFL Cup Round of 16. In fact, Newcastle have beaten Man Utd in each of their last three meetings stretching back to last season, as many wins as they did in their previous 21. Betting Tips
**Nice vs. PSG** In what was Kylian Mbappé’s last home game for PSG, the French champions suffered a 3-1 defeat to Toulouse on Sunday evening. The Madrid-bound star opened the scoring very early on, but the visitors hit back immediately, and sealed all three points in the second half. Now, PSG faces an away trip to Nice on Wednesday, a match expected to be highly competitive. In their first meeting this season, Nice, then league leaders, were 3-2 winners at Parc des Princes, with Mbappé scoring twice, but getting overshadowed by Nigerian forward Terem Moffi, who also netted a brace and provided an assist. PSG avenged this defeat in the French Cup quarter-final with a 3-1 win, where Mbappé once again scored with Fabian Ruiz and Lucas Beraldo also grabbing goals for themselves. Nice’s struggles to find the back of the net has been a recurring issue this season. Despite boasting one of Europe’s top five defences, having conceded just 25 league goals, their measly 37 goals scored has left much to be desired. As a result, they’ve slipped to fifth in the table and are barely holding on to a Europa Conference League spot. PSG have little to play for in the league, especially with the French Cup final looming on the 25th, and they might opt to rest some players. However, the desire for further revenge could serve as a powerful motivator, and securing a league victory over the hosts would undoubtedly satisfy them. Betting Tips
**Almeria vs. Barcelona** The Catalans head to the bottom-of-the-table Almeria on Thursday night with little at stake. With Real Madrid already crowned LaLiga champions and a Champions League spot secured for next season, it’s understandable if Barcelona players are already in holiday mode. However, there’s still plenty of excitement to be found in these seemingly dead rubber matches. The last meeting between these sides in December saw Barcelona narrowly edge out a victory with a second-half brace from Sergi Roberto securing a 3-2 win, despite Almeria putting up a commendable fight. We expect another high-scoring affair in this game, and we have the best odds that reflect this expectation. Almeria has conceded the highest number of goals in the league this season, with 70 goals in 35 games, averaging one goal per half. Meanwhile, Barcelona has scored 70 goals themselves, with five of their last six matches across all competitions producing five or more goals. Also, in these five games, both teams have found the net, with Barcelona conceding at least two goals in each match. Given each teams’ vulnerability in defense, we’ll lean on the goal markets. Betting Tips
**Al-Nassr vs. Al-Hilal** When the fixtures list was first released, most football fans thought this game would decide the title. Set on Matchday 32 of 34, this made total sense, especially given the talent on both sides. But now, Al-Hilal’s whopping 12-point lead at the top of the table changes everything. Their decisive 4-1 victory against Al-Hazm over the weekend officially sealed their fourth Saudi Pro League championship in five years, effectively rendering this game a dead rubber. It speaks volumes about their transfer strategy that even with star player Neymar Jr. sidelined by injury, their league performance hasn’t faltered. Aleksandar Mitrović has been on fire with 26 league goals, while midfield maestros Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić have racked up 11 and 10 assists respectively. Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo leads the league with 33 league goals and an impressive 10 assists. Yet, his goal contributions have not been nearly enough to get Al-Nassr close to Al-Hilal. While he has had some help from Brazilian teammate Talisca, who has 16 goals, they’ve been second-best all year. Al-Hilal have had an excellent record against the best teams this season and one of our betting tips today has us leaning towards another win for them. This season, they have beaten defending champions Al-Ittihad 6 times across all competitions, scoring 18 goals in that stretch. In their first meeting of the season with Al-Nassr, the final of the Arab Club Champions Cup, they lost 2-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo hitting a brace. Since then, they’ve won three in a row against them including a 2-1 win in the Saudi Super Cup where Cristiano Ronaldo once again made headlines, but for the wrong reasons, no thanks to a late red card. Betting Tips
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