Soccer betting tips and predictions

*matches in all competitions

Galatasaray last 5 matches: 

Galatasaray last 3 home matches: 

Istanbul BB last 5 matches: 

Istanbul BB last 3 away matches: 

Pro League table positions: Galatasaray - 1, Istanbul BB - 9

The Turkish Super Lig back into action on Tuesday the 3rd of January as leaders Galatasaray welcome Istanbul BB for what is expected to be the first victory in the new year.

Galatasaray seems to have recaptured their former glory as they are top in the Super Lig table with a total of 37 points in all 17 matches played, fighting off traditional opponents Fenerbahce and Besiktas.

Superb form displayed by Galatasaray in recent games as they managed no less than six straight victories in the league, scoring 12 goals and conceding only 2.

Istanbul BB is currently on a comfortable 9th spot of the table with a total of 24 points in all 17 played. hey have a 12 point advantage over the relegation zone but are still fighting to grab a spot in the Europa League play-off.

Contrary to their opponents, Istanbul BB has failed to win any of their past five matches, managing 3 draws and two defeats which lead to a major drop both in ranking and morale.

My pick: Galatasaray to win ( over 2.5 goals )

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*matches in all competitions

Rio Ave last 5 matches: 

Rio Ave last 3 home matches: 

Sporting last 5 matches: 

Sporting last 3 away matches: 

The Portuguese League Cup kicking off on Monday the 2nd of January with it’s complex competition system reaching the second stage consisting of four groups. Sporting CP travels to Rio Ave in Group A in a game in which the visitors are widely regarded as favorites.

Rio Ave the underdog in this fixture as they are experiencing a very poor form this season and are a good candidate to relegate from Portugal’s top league.

No less than three defeats for them in their last four games played including their elimination from Taca de Portugal by Torrense in extra time.

Sporting Lisbon looking forward to start this group stage with a victory as it’s the crucial first game of the new year. They are still in the fight for the league trophy but with a gap of 6 points from leaders Porto and Benfica it’s hard to see them overpower their opponents.

A relatively good form for them in latest matches including their qualification in the next phase of the Taca de Portugal and more importantly in the Europa League. A bit of a problem for them seems to represent their away performances as they failed to win in any of their past four trips, scoring just one goal in all.

My pick: Sporting to win ( over 2.5 goals )

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The Premiership fixtures continue to come thick and fast for the best teams in the country over this festive period and four of the next round of fixtures will be shown live over Friday, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day giving us plenty more betting opportunities on the pick of the live action on Sky Sports and ESPN.

Liverpool v Newcastle is the first live game to look forward to, it takes place on Sky Sports 1 on Friday night and in previous years this fixture has provided some epic encounters, neutrals will be hoping for more of the same but based on the two team’s recent games we might not be so lucky this year. Liverpool are struggling for goals with four goals in their last five games and with Newcastle keeping two clean sheets in their last two games this match looks destined to be low scoring. The last six Liverpool home games have all had under 2.5 goals and this looks another likely candidate for that bet at odds of evens at the time of writing.

Man Utd v Blackburn is the early kick off on ESPN on New Year’s Eve and Man Utd will be looking to go top, even if it’s only for 24 hours. Man Utd have been in great form recently, scoring sixteen goals in their last four Premiership matches and with Blackburn having the second worst defence in the league this should just be a case of how many for United who should be looking to score plenty with home advantage. Man Utd have averaged over three goals a game at home this season and with several strikers in form they should be able to gain at least a three goals advantage over under pressure Steve Kean’s side and Man Utd -2 in the handicap looks a solid bet at 11/10.

West Brom gained a great result during the week getting a point off Man City and keeping a clean sheet in the process and they are likely to be involved in another low scoring match on Sky Sports 1 on New Year’s Day. They face Everton who haven’t had a game with more than two goals in their last six matches and their game against Sunderland could easily have ended goalless, Sunderland needed a huge deflection to score whilst Everton scored a penalty that certainly shouldn’t have been given. This should be very low scoring and under 2.5 goals at 4/5 should be a pretty safe bet.

The second live game on New Year’s Day is Sunderland v Man City and Man City are likely to need a win here if they are to go back to the top of the Premiership with Man Utd expected to have beaten Blackburn 24 hours earlier. Man City have tightened up in recent games after a very high scoring start to the season, they have kept three clean sheets in a row and scored just five goals in four games which isn’t many compared to the last couple of months. It would therefore be no surprise to see Man City keep a clean sheet in a fairly low scoring match and 2-0 could be worth backing at a big price in this match, 7/1 is the price and that bet should make this game a bit more exciting.

Are these really the best bets from the week’s live action? Which game are you most looking forward to betting on? Let us know YOUR thoughts on the best bets in the Premiership this weekend.

*matches in all competitions

Genk last 5 matches: 

Genk last 3 home matches: 

Cercle Brugge last 5 matches: 

Cercle Brugge last 3 away matches: 

Pro League table positions: Genk - 7, Cercle Brugge - 5

The Belgium Pro League kicks off round 19 on Monday with a series of interesting matches, among them Genk welcoming Circle Brugge.

Genk no doubt the favorite to win this match but with only 27 points managed in all 18 games played so far, they are still outside of the Champion’s play-off, separated by three points from Kortrijk and their current adversaries Cercle Brugge.

Only one victory for them in their last 6 matches played and if this trend is to continue they will plunge lower in the chart, but with their fast exit from the Champions League groups their only focus will be this competition.

Cercle Brugge currently on the 5th spot of the chart with a total of 30 point, just three above their current adversaries and no less than 9 below leaders Anderlecht.

Similar situation as their opponents as they managed only one victory in their last 5 played, steady losing ground in the rankings.

My pick: Genk to win ( over 2.5 goals )

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There are three live games to look forward to on Boxing Day and on Tuesday and two of the best bets of the week come in these games fortunately so there should be plenty to cheer about in the games if if you don’t support one of the teams involved.

The live fixture on Boxing Day evening is Stoke v Aston Villa and the home team look a cracking bet in this match despite being beaten 3-0 during the week. That was at Man City though and back at the Britannia Stoke should be a different proposition as they had won four league games I a row heading into that Man City match. Aston Villa have been dire recently having picked up just four points from six matches and with just one away win they are very likely to struggle at Stoke. Aston Villa have really had a problem defending crosses in recent matches and against a team that thrives on long throws and packing the six yard box it would be a major surprise is Stoke didn’t justify their odds of 21/20 in this match.

The first of the live games on Tuesday features Swansea and QPR, two of the newly promoted sides. Swansea have kept clean sheets in this fixture for the last three years and it would be no surprise to see that happen again as Man Utd’s Javier Hernandez is the only opposition player to score at the Liberty Stadium all season. QPR are woefully out of form with just four points from their last eight league games whilst Swansea hold the sixth best home record in the league, not bad for a newly promoted team. The Liberty Stadium has been a fortress this season and it seems disrespectful that the bookies are offering 11/10 on them to beat the most out of form team in the division, Swansea look a very good bet here.

The final live game to look forward to is Norwich v Spurs on Tuesday night. Many will be surprised to see Spurs available at around 4/5 against a newly promoted side but Norwich have been very good at home this season losing just two games. This game could easily end up a draw and the outcome in that market could be too difficult to call so instead look at backing over 2.5 goals at 8/11. Just one of Norwich’s last eight matches hasn’t had over 2.5 goals and that was a 1-1 draw against the extremely low scoring Everton. Ten of Tottenham’s last twelve games have had over 2.5 goals and if there was ever a game that should be high scoring it is this one.

Are these really the best bets from the week’s live action? Which game are you most looking forward to betting on? Let us know your thoughts on the best bets in the Premiership this weekend.