As all the European leagues are now underway, we'll retrospectively examine the showings of prominent individuals during the pre-season phase. We'll aim to align this analysis with future expectations, employing it to influence a portion of our bet predictions in the months to come. Admittedly, pre-season matches are just friendlies and should not carry substantial weight. However, they offer potential glimpses into the future, as they grant managers an ideal platform to trial novel formations, ideologies, and lineup permutations without constraints. **Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé,** two of Europe's most prominent stars, experienced relatively quiet pre-seasons, each for distinct reasons. Haaland's situation was influenced by **Manchester City's** elongated holiday, limiting them to just three pre-season matches. In these three games, the Norwegian striker found the net twice. However, he has swiftly begun the season with a flourish, scoting two goals across two league matches. Kylian Mbappé, meanwhile, was banished from the first team following a [power tussle with the club’s upper management.](https://m.betking.com/blog/betting-tips/the-kylian-mbappe-and-psg-dilemma/) As a result, he didn’t feature in any of PSG’s pre-season games. Following his subsequent reinstatement into the first team, Mbappé marked his return over the weekend by netting a goal against Toulouse. Despite the less-than-optimal pre-season scenarios for these two talents, we expect their performances this season to be nothing short of spectacular. One of our early betting tips is for them to retain their domestic golden boots and for the best odds, our online sports betting customers can take advantage of that on BetKing.


Bet on Kylian Mbappé to win the Ligue 1 Golden Boot @1.97
Bet on Erling Haaland to win the EPL Golden Boot @1.41

In Spain, both **Barcelona and Real Madrid** treated fans to an array of exciting pre-season matches, culminating in an El Clásico showdown at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, which Barcelona triumphed in with a commanding 3-0 victory. **Ferran Torres** emerged as a standout player for Barcelona, impressively netting 3 goals, while **Robert Lewandowski** also found the back of the net twice. On the Real Madrid side, several key figures were on top form during a productive three-week span, with Federico Valverde scoring twice, **Vinícius Jr.** notching two goals, and Jude Bellingham adding one to the tally. Remarkably, **Jude Bellingham** has continued his goal-scoring form into the season, securing an impressive 3 goals in just 2 games. Vinícius Jr. has also made his mark with a goal to his credit. Looking ahead, considering **Real Madrid's** robust midfield, it's reasonable to expect that they will consistently find the net in matches, but might not necessarily concede many goals. One of our betting tips today is to lean towards Real Madrid scoring **Over 1.5 goals** in their games rather than the matches producing **over 2.5 goals.** This reflects the team's offensive prowess while acknowledging their capacity to maintain defensive stability. In England, **Newcastle United** stood out with one of the most productive pre-seasons, recording 5 victories and 2 draws in their 7 matches, while impressively netting 17 goals along the way. **Alexander Isak** was in top form during this period, making his presence felt on the scoresheet twice while providing two assists. Remarkably, this momentum has carried into the new season, as he kicked off with a brilliant start by scoring twice on the opening day in a convincing 5-1 victory over Aston Villa. While Newcastle’s success last season was built on their defense, this season they look like a team capable of breaking down a lot of defenses, and we foresee them scoring **over 1.5 goals** in a lot of home games. **Manchester United's** pre-season displayed a mix of results, and their sluggish start to the current season is unsurprising. Over the course of 8 games, they initially showed promise by securing three consecutive wins in their opening matches. However, their momentum waned as they subsequently suffered three losses. Star player, **Marcus Rashford** didn’t look as sharp as expected and only scored once, while **Jadon Sancho** actually looked lively in an unfamiliar role as a false nine. Surprisingly, he has started none of the two league games so far. Man Utd has always created chances, but, converting them has remained a worry; something they’ve carried over into this season. For this reason, it’s perhaps safe to stay away from betting heavily on the Red Devils to score multiple goals this early in the season till their attacking issues are resolved. **Arsenal** showed promise in their pre-season matches, notably scoring 5 goals in two separate instances, against the MLS All-Stars and Barcelona. **Leandro Trossard** netted three times and grabbed the all-important equalizer in the Community Shield. Star winger **Bukayo Saka** also made his presence felt, contributing two goals to the team's pre-season tally. His impressive run continued into the league campaign, as he began with a goal against Nottingham Forest. While Manchester City are still heavy favorites to win the Premier League, the odds for Arsenal might not be higher than it is now and, @5.25, we have the best value for money you can get among all betting sites.


Bet on Arsenal to win the Premier League @5.25

**Liverpool** unquestionably had the most exciting attacking displays in Europe during their pre-season campaign as they scored a minimum of 3 goals in each of their 5 pre-season matches. Notable performances came from **Darwin Núñez,** who scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist, and **Diogo Jota,** who netted 4 goals and contributed 3 assists. **Mo Salah** also played a pivotal role, accumulating 2 goals and an impressive 7 assists, while **Luis Diaz** contributed 3 goals to the team's pre-season tally. Clearly, the absence of Bobby Firmino doesn't appear to have hindered their offensive potential. Defense however remains a worry for Liverpool as they gave up 11 goals in those 5 games and have started the league season with no clean-sheet in their opening two games. We recommend betting on **Over 2.5 Goals** in Liverpool games especially in away games where they are most likely to concede but also score.


Bet on Liverpool to Make the EPL Top 4 @1.61

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