@Footy_Tipster gives his best bets and predictions ahead of a huge round of fixtures across Europe…
・ Celta Vigo v Alaves – Friday, 6pm
・ Le Havre v Paris Saint-Germain – Friday, 7.45pm
・ Manchester United v Fulham – Friday, 8pm
・ Ipswich Town v Liverpool – Saturday, 12.30pm
・ Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers – Saturday, 3pm
・ Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion – Saturday, 3pm
・ Newcastle United v Southampton – Saturday, 3pm
・ Nottingham Forest v AFC Bournemouth – Saturday, 3pm
・ Brest v Marseille – Saturday, 4pm
・ West Ham v Aston Villa – Saturday, 5.30pm
・ Genoa v Inter Milan – Saturday, 5.30pm
・ Parma v Fiorentina – Saturday, 5.30pm
・ Reims v Lille – Saturday, 6pm
・ Osasuna v Leganes – Saturday, 6pm
・ Valencia v FC Barcelona – Saturday, 8.30pm
・ Brentford v Crystal Palace – Sunday, 2pm
・ Chelsea v Manchester City – Sunday, 4.30pm
・ Cagliari v AS Roma – Sunday, 7.45pm
・ Lazio v Venezia – Sunday, 7.45pm
・ Mallorca v Real Madrid – Sunday, 8.30pm
・ Leece v Atalanta – Monday, 5.30pm
・ Juventus v Como – Monday, 7.45pm
・ Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur – Monday, 8pm
Football Predictions Friday
Celta Vigo v Alaves
Celta Vigo will get their thirteenth consecutive La Liga season underway on Friday evening as they welcome Alaves to the Estadio de Balaidos.
Despite finishing thirteenth last season, Celta Vigo found themselves fighting relegation for the majority of the season, only a real pick up in form towards the latter stages of the campaign secured their safety, it wasn’t a good season for Los Celestes and they’ll be hoping for a much better season under head coach Claudio Giraldez this time around. Celta haven’t managed a top-half finish in La Liga since the 2020/2021 campaign, that would be a step in the right direction come May.
Alaves impressed under Luis Garcia in their first season back in La Liga after a one-year absence, El Glorioso finished their campaign in tenth, their highest top-flight finish since 2017. According to the betting market, seven other teams are more likely to face relegation that Garcia’s side and even though their recent games have been pre-season friendlies, they’ve lost just one of their last ten games, this will be an interesting season for Alaves.
Despite Alaves winning their most recent head-to-head, Celta have taken all three points in five of their last seven meetings, including three of their last four meetings in Vigo, I think it’ll be a tight game but Celta will just edge it.
Le Havre v Paris Saint-Germain
Le Havre will welcome the current Ligue 1 Champions Paris Saint-Germain to the Stade Oceane on Friday evening in this league opener.
Le Havre managed to extend their stay in the French top-flight after finishing last season in fifteenth, three points above the relegation play-off spot. The betting market currently has Le Club Doyen as one of the favourites for relegation this season, so Didier Digard will have to prove a lot of people wrong during this campaign although pre-season hasn’t been too kind for his side, they enter this fixture off the back of a 6-0 thumping to German side Bochum.
PSG will have to adapt to life without superstar Kylian Mbappe following his summer move to Real Madrid, the Parisians will be hoping they can secure their thirteenth Ligue 1 title without their all-time top goalscorer. Luis Enrique’s side have only played two pre-season friendlies ahead of this one, with both games finishing in stalemates, it’ll be interesting to see how PSG cope with that and if that will affect the start to their campaign. Enrique has added to his squad for this season, with the arrivals of Joao Neves from Benfica and William Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Despite playing just twice since the end of the season, PSG will be happy that their opener is against Le Havre, given they’ve not lost against them since 1999, winning eight of the last nine meetings across all competitions.
Manchester United v Fulham
Manchester United welcome Fulham to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ on Friday night as both sides get their new Premier League campaign underway.
Manchester United had to deal with a lot of noise off the pitch last season, from the INEOS takeover to constant questions and rumours regarding the future of manager Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils had a disappointing campaign in the league but managed to claim an FA Cup trophy with a victory over their bitter rivals back in May, which kept ten Hag in a job for the upcoming season. Things have settled down off the pitch now, there’s been a lot of change with the backroom staff along with the signings of Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro which will strengthen the defence, despite losing the penalty shootout against Man City in the Community Shield, United had enough chances to put the game to bed, the signs have been promising but now it’s time for these players to deliver in the league.
Fulham ended last season in thirteenth place and they enter this campaign without a couple of key players, Joao Palhinha completed his move to Bayern Munich whilst defender Tosin Adarabioyo joined fellow West London side Chelsea on a free transfer. Marco Silva has brought in Emile Smith-Rowe from Arsenal but he’ll be hoping his side can put together a stronger campaign this time around.
Fulham secured a shock 2-1 victory at Old Trafford back in February, their first win over Manchester United since 2009, this is a fixture that the Red Devils dominate, with fifteen victories in their last nineteen meetings, only one defeat, I think Man United will get the victory again in this one and take all three points.
Football Predictions Saturday
Ipswich Town v Liverpool
Premier League football returns to Portman Road on Saturday for the first time in twenty-two years, as Ipswich Town welcome Liverpool.
Ipswich Town found themselves playing football in the English third tier just two seasons ago, they are now back in the “big time” and they have manager Kieran McKenna to thank for that, his success so far at Ipswich has attracted interest from some of the bigger clubs in England, so when the Northern Irishman signed a new contract, the Ipswich faithful breathed a sigh of relief. It doesn’t get much tougher for the Tractor Boys in their first game back, a visit from Liverpool, the first meeting between these two sides since 2002.
Life without Jurgen Klopp is underway for Liverpool, the Reds appointed Dutchman Arne Slot back in July. Liverpool ended their pre-season fixtures without defeat, winning four out of their five games but despite the promising start under Arne Slot, a lack of signings in the summer transfer window has been a worry for many of the supporters. It’ll be interesting to see how Liverpool adapt to Slot and his style of football, the Reds haven’t lost an opening day fixture in the last twelve seasons, they’ll be looking to continue that trend here.
As mentioned, these two sides haven’t met since 2002, therefore we cannot compare the head-to-head stats. However, I fully expect Liverpool to take all three points in this one, Ipswich will be an entertaining side this season but the Reds should have too much here.
Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arsenal welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon in this Premier League clash.
It’s been nineteen years since Arsenal last won the Premier League, after finishing just two points behind Manchester City in their last campaign, Mikel Arteta will be hoping his side can go one step further this time around and end this league drought. The Gunners haven’t been too busy in the transfer window so far, although they have managed to bring in Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna to strengthen that back line, they’ll want to get off a perfect start in North London.
Wolves haven’t improved on their previous league position in the last three campaigns, they ended last season in fourteenth although they we’re only three points off a midtable finish. Gary O’Neil might feel up against it in this campaign, having lost both Max Kilman (West Ham) and Pedro Neto (Chelsea) during the transfer window, they’ll be hoping their new recruit Rodrigo Gomes can continue to hit the ground running after scoring three goals in his four pre-season fixtures.
Arsenal should be confident ahead of this fixture as they have beaten Wolves in their last six meetings, Arteta will have his side fully focussed as they know how important a winning start is here.
Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion
Everton will play their last ever opening game at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Brighton ahead of their move to the Bramley-Moor Dock next season.
You feel like this season is so important for Everton in terms of making sure they avoid relegation, the last thing they need is Championship football in their new stadium, with an estimated cost of £750m. The Toffees could yet find themselves at the end of another points deduction which makes every game seem more and more important. The Blues have had a few departures so far with Amadou Onana joining Aston Villa and Ben Godfrey joining Europa League holders Atalanta. However, the signing of Jake O’Brien from Lyon already looks like a good bit of business for Sean Dyche’s side.
Brighton enter this new campaign with the youngest permanent boss in Premier League history, Fabian Hurzeler (31) took over Brighton in July having guided St Pauli back up to the Bundesliga in Germany. Since taking the reins, the Seagulls have won all four of their pre-season friendlies, scoring fourteen goals in the process, those Brighton fans will be hoping this attacking display can continue in the Premier League.
The last five meetings between these two sides have seen both teams find the back of the net, I think we will see the same thing here. Brighton haven’t lost at Goodison park in their last three visits, having won two of them and drawing their last fixture here back in November.
Newcastle United v Southampton
Newly-promoted Southampton will make the 644-mile round trip up to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon as these two sides meet in the Premier League.
Despite finishing seventh last season, Newcastle were denied a European spot following Manchester United’s FA Cup victory in May. However, you feel like this might not be such bad news for the Magpies as they can now put their full focus into the Premier League as they hope to be battling for the top four. Newcastle are still continuing to battle in terms of the Premier League PSR rules, so it’s not been a busy summer but with Sandro Tonali set to return on August 27th, that will feel like a new signing in itself.
After beating Leeds United in the play-off final, Southampton are now among the favourites to be relegated from the Premier Leaguer according to the betting market but Russell Martin will be hoping to defy those odds, as he enters his debut season as a Premier League manager. The Saints have strengthened their squad with the permanent signings of Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes, whilst the experienced Adam Lallana also returns to the club where he made his fist senior appearance back in 2006.
When these two sides meet, we are usually treated to plenty of goals. Both teams have found the back of the net in six of their last seven meetings, with all six of those games also producing at least three goals, expect the same here but Newcastle should get off to a winning start.
Nottingham Forest v AFC Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest will welcome Bournemouth to the City Ground on Saturday afternoon as the two sides come head-to-head in the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest spent the majority of last season battling it out with Luton Town to stay in the English top flight. Despite a four point deduction, Nuno Espirito Santo managed to guide his side to safety with an eventual six point cushion, the Forest boss will be looking forward to his first full season in charge of the Tricky Trees.
Bournemouth will have to compete in their third consecutive Premier League campaign without last season’s top goalscorer Dominic Solanke following his £55million move to Tottenham Hotspur, the Englishman scored nineteen league goals last season and will be a massive miss for the Cherries. Andoni Iraola has tried to boost their attacking options with the permanent signings of Luis Sinisterra and Enes Unal, both of whom now have big boots to fill.
I think this will be a tight game between these two, I don’t think they’ll be much in it and a stalemate in Nottingham wouldn’t surprise me. In the last seven meetings between these two sides, if the game hasn’t finished in a draw, it has been won by just one goal, although the last four head-to-heads have seen both teams hit the back of the net, score draw.
Brest v Marseille
Marseille will travel to the Stade Francis-Le Ble on Saturday to face Brest in Ligue 1.
It’ll take some campaign this time around if Brest are to better last season, finishing third in the league and securing Champions League football for the first time in their history, something to look forward to for the Brest loyal. However, it’s a tricky start to Ligue 1 for the Pirates, they have beaten Marseille just once in their last five games whilst playing as the home side and preparation hasn’t been the greatest, with just one win in their six pre-season friendlies.
Marseille have had a busy summer transfer so far, new manager Roberto De Zerbi has boosted his attacking threat with the addition of Mason Greenwood from Manchester United and Elye Wahi from Lens, whilst Les Phoceens have also managed to offload a couple of the “older guard” including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Whilst their opponents have struggled in pre-season, Marseille have lost just one of their five games leading up to this campaign, encouraging signs for Marseille fans with life under De Zerbi.
Seven of the last nine meetings between the two sides have produced both teams to score on the betting market, I think we’ll see a different Marseille this season and they could get themselves off to a perfect start in this one.
West Ham United v Aston Villa
Aston Villa will make the trip to East London on Saturday evening as they face West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League.
West Ham parted company with David Moyes in June and brought in former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui, which raised a few eyebrows among the West Ham support. However, suddenly there’s a bit of optimism after the arrivals of Championship player of the year Crysencio Summerville, German striker Niclas Fullkrug and most recently, Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United to name just a few. The Hammers faithful will be hoping this new look side can put a really challenge together this season and battle it out for a spot in the top seven and more European football.
Aston Villa secured Champions League football after a brilliant season under Unai Emery, there’s also a lot of excitement around this squad following recent recruitments, including Amadou Onana from Everton, Samuel Iling-Junior from Juventus and Ian Maatsen from Chelsea. Coping with the Premier League and the Champions League will be a difficult task for Villa, we’ve seen it happen plenty of times in the past and a strong start here is far from guaranteed, as Villa haven’t beaten West Ham just once in their last twelve competitive meetings.
As mentioned, Villa tend to struggle against West Ham and they haven’t won against the Hammers in East London since 2011, ten away games ago. Whilst the last two games between these two at the London Stadium have both ended in a score draw, I think we could see another one this time out.
Genoa v Inter Milan
Current Serie A Champions will get the league underway on Saturday evening as they travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to face Genoa.
Genoa finished eleventh in their first season back in Serie A last season, which equalled their joint highest finish in the Italian top-flight since 2016. However, striker Mateo Retegui has left the Griffin to play his football in Bergamo for Atalanta, although they have now secured the permanent signing of Vitinha following his brief loan spell last season, they’ll be hoping he can become the main man in this campaign.
Inter Milan ended their campaign by clinching the Scudetto for the twentieth time, Simone Inzaghi hasn’t had to strengthen his side too much this year given I Nerazzurri finished a whopping 19 points ahead of their same-city rivals, AC Milan. However, Inzaghi knows his side will need to do something that the previous four Scudetto winners have failed to do, retain the title.
In the last fifteen meetings between these two sides, both teams have scored just twice, whilst Inter Milan have taken all three points in ten of those meetings. Inter only conceded twenty-two goals in the league last season and only eleven on the road, I think they’ll pick up where they left off and get the victory here to nil.
Parma v Fiorentina
Parma return to Serie A after three years away from the Italian top-flight, they’ll welcome Fiorentina to the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Saturday evening.
Parma fully deserved their promotion after finishing champions of Serie B, however the last time they participated in Serie A, the Crusaders only managed to put together three wins throughout the campaign before finishing at the bottom of the table. With victories over Antwerp, Galatasaray and Atalanta in pre-season, fans were optimistic about having a much better campaign this time around, a recent Coppa Italia defeat to Palermo might have just hindered that optimism ever so slightly.
Fiorentina finished their last campaign in eighth place along with finishing runners-up in the Europa Conference League. However, there’s still been change at the helm, with Raffaele Palladino taking over in the dugout. That hasn’t been the only new arrival in Florence, Moise Kean has signed from Juventus whilst the arrival of David de Gea looks to be a big scoop for I Viola.
This should be a good game, we’ve seen both teams find the back of the net in four of their last five competitive head-to-head fixtures, whilst all but one of Fiorentina’s pre-season games produced at least three goals.
Reims v Lille
The Stade Auguste-Delaune is the venue for this Ligue 1 clash as Reims welcome Lille on Saturday evening.
Reims will head into this new campaign with hopes of challenging for a top seven place under their new boss Luka Elsner, Les rouges et blancs finished just four points off a European place last season and they’ll be hoping to put a real challenge in this time around. However, it’s been a quiet summer for Reims in terms of transfers, meaning Elsner will more than likely have to wait to bring in his own players.
Lille lost a key player of their own during the summer transfer window, the youngster Leny Yoro joined Manchester United when Lille received an offer they couldn’t turn down. The Mastiffs will be hoping they can hold onto striker Jonathan David during the summer transfer window, his 118th minute penalty against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe sent Lille into the next stage of this seasons Champions League. Lille had to really battle it out for a top four spot in their last campaign, I’m sure Bruno Genesio’s aim this year is to challenge in the top two.
Only two of the last ten meetings between these two sides in Reims have produced three or more goals, I think we might see a cagey opener in this one and goals might be at a minimum.
Osasuna v Leganes
The Estadio El Sadar will host Osasuna’s opening La Liga fixture on Saturday evening as newly-promoted Leganes come to town.
It’s been all change at the top for Osasuna, Vicente Moreno has been brought in to take over Jagoba Arrasate after Los Rojillios finished last season in eleventh. Moreno will be hoping his side can kick off the campaign with all three points given Osasuna have done exactly that in four of their last five openers. Gorritxoak will be hoping they can improve on last season’s home form though, they had the seventeenth worst home record in La Liga, winning just six of their nineteen games and scoring just nineteen goals in the process.
Leganes will be participating in the Spanish top-flight for the first time since the 2019/2020 season following their promotion, Los Pepineros are among the betting favourites for relegation but they’ll be hoping their business so far in the transfer window will give them a real fighting chance of survival, the highest they’ve ever finished in La Liga is thirteenth back in 2018/2019.
We could be in for goals on Saturday night between these two, the last five meetings in Pamplona have seen both teams on the scoresheet, with all five games finishing with a 2-1 scoreline, four of which in Osasuna’s favour.
Valencia v Barcelona
The iconic Estadio de Mestalla will host Saturday night’s clash between Valencia and FC Barcelona in this exciting fixture.
There’s not much optimism shared among the Valencia fans at the moment, unhappy with the owners and one of the reasons for this is their lack of investment in the club. Valencia have spent just €150k so far which doesn’t fill anybody with confidence, add that to the fact that Los Ches only managed two victories (Benidorm and Eintracht Frankfurt) in their seven pre-season games, it could be a long season for Valencia.
There’s also a lot of frustration off the field for Barcelona fans, last season wasn’t great for the Spanish giants and it felt like a circus at times. Xavi Hernandez told the hierarchy that he was staying for this season but was then replaced by German Hansi Flick, they’ve managed to bring in the talented Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig but the circus seems to continue, at the time of writing Barca haven’t been able to register Olmo for this campaign but they’ll be hoping to get all this nonsense sorted before they kick off on Saturday evening.
It’s a fixture that usually produces goals and entertainment, eleven of the last fourteen meetings have seen both teams score, whilst nine of those have also produced at least three goals, I’ve got a feeling we’ll see more of the same.
Football Predictions Sunday
Brentford v Crystal Palace
West London meets South London on Sunday afternoon as Crystal Palace travel to face Brentford in the Premier League.
It could be another long season for Brentford and Thomas Frank, I know we don’t pay too much attention to pre-season results but having won just one (v Wimbledon) in their five games, it’s a little bit of a concern. They will also start their campaign without new signing Igor Thiago, the striker signed from Club Brugge for €33million but has since suffered a lengthy injury setback. The good news for the Bees is the signing of Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool on a permanent transfer, already experienced in the Premier League at just twenty-one years old, there shouldn’t be any “settling in period” for the youngster.
The inevitable happened as far as Crystal Palace are concerned, Michael Olise got his big move to Bayern Munich and the Eagles have brought in Ismaila Sarr from Marseille as a possible replacement. There’s a bit of hope and optimism for Palace this season, they ended their last campaign in great form after brining in Oliver Glasner and now they’ll be excited about what the Austrian can do with a full season. It’s been a good pre-season for Palace, they remain unbeaten after winning three of their five games, including victories over Wolves and West Ham.
The last four meetings between these two London sides have seen both teams on the scoresheet, three of the four games have also ended in a draw. Another 1-1 scoreline here wouldn’t surprise me, there’s been seven stalemates in the last nine fixtures between the two, both sides have taken one victory each.
Chelsea v Manchester City
Current Premier League holders Manchester City will make the trip to West London on Sunday afternoon to face Chelsea in this mouth-watering fixture.
Enzo Maresca will come up against his former employers on Sunday, the Italian has been busy since leaving Manchester City, he’s since taken Leicester City back into the Premier League and has now been rewarded with trying to steady the ship at Chelsea. Once again, Todd Boehly hasn’t been shy with his cash, having spent around €189million on another eight players, including Pedro Neto from Wolves. The Blues haven’t had the best pre-season though, having won just one of their six games, which included a draw against Wrexham and a 4-1 thumping from Celtic, all of which will be forgotten if they can get a result in this one.
Nobody is really sure about what will happen with Manchester City, the hearing for their alleged 115 breaching of Premier League rules is set for next month and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of noise from the media during that time. One thing we do know, Pep Guardiola won’t let this affect the way his side plays and will be confident of a winning start here given they’ve won three of their last five at Stamford Bridge, a victory in the Community Shield over their rivals Manchester United was a good way to start their new campaign.
These two sides possibly gave us the game of the season last time they met at Stamford Bridge, with a classic 4-4 draw. I don’t think we’ll see the same here although Man City did put another four past Chelsea in pre-season at the start of the month.
Cagliari v AS Roma
Cagliari will take on Roma in this Serie A clash at the Unipol Domus on Sunday evening.
Cagliari will play their football in the Italian top-flight for a second consecutive season after surviving relegation by just one point in their last campaign, a campaign where we all said farewell to footballing legend Claudio Ranieri’s managerial career. There’s a new man at the helm and it’s Davide Nicola, the man that Empoli brought in last season to help them stay in the division, it was a successful mission as Empoli stayed up by one point after beating Roma with a 93rd minute winner. The Islanders find themselves as one of the betting favourites for relegation and maybe that is why Davide Nicola has been brought in, given he’s recently managed the struggling sides in Serie A.
Daniele De Rossi signed a contract extension back in June after his successful run as Roma manager from January, his side finished sixth in Serie A which was enough to guarantee the Giallorossi a place in this seasons Europa League. Now with a full season ahead of him, De Rossi will be hoping his side can put together a real challenge for those Champions League places, they’ve brought in striker Artem Dovbyk from Girona and Matias Soule from Juventus in order to help with that challenge this season.
Roma have lost to Cagliari just once in their last eighteen meetings, winning thirteen of them along the way. However, both teams have scored in nine of the last ten games played in Sardinia across all competitions, so this won’t be all straightforward for La Lupa but they should take all three points.
Lazio v Venezia
Newly-promoted Venezia will make the trip to the Italian capital of Rome on Sunday night as they face Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico.
Lazio appointed Igor Tudor in the middle of March last season, despite a strong end to the season which seen I Biancocelesti secure a Europa League spot, the Croatian resigned after a disagreement over transfers. Former Hellas Verona manager Marco Baroni is now the man in charge and his side enter this campaign unbeaten after winning five of their seven pre-season games, including a 23-0 victory, I’d say it’s quite unlikely that we’ll see such a big result here but Baroni will be hoping his side can get off to a perfect start.
It’s like a managerial merry-go-round in Serie A this season, despite securing Venezia Serie A football via the play-offs last season, head coach Paolo Vanoli left his role to join Torino, resulting in the appointment of former Frosinone boss Eusebio Di Francesco. I Leoni alati put together a good set of results in their pre-season but maybe reality hit a little in their last outing, a 3-1 defeat to Brescia in the Coppa Italia wasn’t quite ideal.
Venezia’s goal for this season will be a simple one, avoid relegation. However, it’s a tough start for Di Francesco’s side, the last time they managed a victory over Lazio was twenty-four years ago, whilst Lazio have taken victory in all of their five meetings in Rome.
Mallorca v Real Madrid
Mallorca will welcome footballing giants Real Madrid to the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix on Sunday evening for this La Liga fixture.
Mallorca ended last season in fifteenth place, seven points clear of the relegation zone. There’s a new man in charge with Jagoba Arrasate taking over from Javier Aguirre and his side have started positively winning five of their six games ahead of this one, although the main talking point was the game against West Brom, when a fight among the players broke out following a tackle on Jayson Molumby, they won’t be able to afford any discipline issues on Sunday night if they want to get some sort of positive result.
Real Madrid are on the hunt for their thirty-seventh La Liga title, with the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and the talented Endrick, another La Liga title seems more like an expectation. Los Blancos have already got their first piece of silverware for the season after their 2-0 Super Cup victory over Atalanta on Wednesday and Mbappe didn’t waste anytime in getting on the scoresheet.
You’d expect Real Madrid to get off to a winning start here, although Mallorca have caused an upset against Los Blancos in recent years, the Pirates have won two of the last four at home to Madrid. However, I can’t see anything other than a Real Madrid victory this time around and Carlo Ancelotti should get the winning start he demands.
Football Predictions Monday
Leece v Atalanta
The Stadio Via del Mare is the venue for this one as Leece take on Atalanta in Serie A on Monday evening.
Leece will participate in Serie A for the third consecutive season after surviving the drop last season by just three points. Despite just three points from safety, I Giallorossi finished the season in fourteenth place and earned their highest finish in the Italian top-flight since the 2004/2005 season. There’s no doubt they’ll be fighting to stay in the league again this season but face a tough task in their league opener.
Atalanta made history for the club last season with their success in the Europa League, their first major silverware in more than sixty years. Their victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin set up a UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday, La Dea lost the game 2-0 but there’s no shame in that against the Champions League winners. Gian Piero Gasperini has been rewarded for his entertaining style of football and will be hoping they can continue to battle for a top-four finish, along with a good campaign in this seasons UCL.
Atalanta have beaten Leece in their last two meetings, keeping a clean sheet in both fixtures, they’ve also won three of the last four played in Apulia. I think this might be a tricky game for La Dea but they should just get over the line, 1-2.
Juventus v Como
Como make their return to the Italian top-flight after a twenty-one-year absence as they travel to Turin to take on Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Monday night.
Massimiliano Allegri left Juventus in May, just two days after guiding Juventus to the Coppa Italia title, it was reported that the Italian had attacked the referees, threatened a journalist and waved off the sporting director during the post-match celebrations. Thiago Motta has come in to bring some calm to the chaos after unbelievably securing Champions League football for Bologna. The Old Lady have been busy in the transfer window as they look to improve on last seasons league campaign, the arrival of Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa and Khephren Thuram for Nice has given the squad and fans a boost ahead of this opener against Como.
Como found themselves in the fourth-tier of Italian football just five years ago, the work done in the past few years has been remarkable. Cesc Fabregas is the man in charge of I Lariani and he’s added some experience to his side in the hope keeping his side in Serie A. The most notable signing for Como is Raphael Varane on a free transfer from Manchester United, although the French centre-back had to come off in his debut due to injury, not an ideal start.
These two sides have only met on two occasions back in the 2002/2003 season, Juventus should have too much for Como, I think we’ll see a 2-0 home win.
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur
Leicester City will welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the King Power Stadium in the first Monday Night Football of the season.
2016 Premier League Champions Leicester City will be happy to get themselves back into the Premier League at the first time of asking but it’s not all Rosey at the King Power, the Foxes have a considerable points deduction verdict hanging over them ahead of this campaign and the betting market suggests that relegation back to the Championship is a real possibility. Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has come in to try and keep the Foxes in the English top-flight but it’s looking like a big ask.
Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur have had a busy summer transfer window so far, the Australian has brought in Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, the talented Archie Gray from Leeds United and Wilson Odobert from Burnley to name a few. Spurs finished an agonisingly 2 points off the Champions League places last season but we’re very entertaining to watch, I think they can really challenge for a top four spot again.
This fixture tends to be remembered for the game back in 2022, when Steven Bergwijn scored in the 95th minute & 97th minute to complete a 3-2 victory for Spurs. There’s been another four meetings since then and we’ve seen more entertainment, with each of the last five games producing at least four goals, I think we could get goals again on Monday night but Spurs to take all three points back to the capital.
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