Football betting analyst Mark O’Haire returns to share a couple of his favourite fancies across the globe with a focus on La Liga and Ligue 1 this weekend.
Celta Vigo were involved in an enthralling 4-2 defeat against Barcelona before the international break and I’m expecting goals galore again when the Galicians travel to Alaves for Saturday’s early kick-off in La Liga. Claudio Giraldez’s group almost guarantee entertainment and odds-against for Both Teams To Score is too good to turn down.
No side in Spain has been more reliable for BTTS backers than the Vigo-club, landing the Both Teams To Score bounty in 11 of their opening 12 outings. In fact, both sides have gotten on the scoresheet in all of Celta’s 11 league dates since their opening day defeat against a dour Getafe side – that’s quite a remarkable record.
Giraldez’s implores his team to play on the front foot and Los Celestes pack plenty of punch; Borja Iglesias offers the Galicians a real physical presence up top, Ferran Jutgla provides movement and link play, and the ever-influential Iago Aspas still contributes. Add in Oscar Mingueza’s creativity and the visitors will expect to cause problems in Vitoria.
If we take a look at Celta’s road record since the beginning of last term – a 24-game sample – we can see that Celta have scored in 22 of those 24 tussles, a remarkable strike-rate for a mid-table side. However, the Vigo boys have only bagged three clean sheets in that 24-game run, leading to a massive 19 (79%) win-rate for our proposed BTTS play.
Now Alaves aren’t the most goal-heavy opponents, though El Glorioso do tend to put extra emphasis on their home outings. Eduardo Coudet encourages his group to put opposition outfits at Mendizorroza under real pressure, and it tends to pay dividends with the Vitoria outfit returning W3-D2-L1 at home this season, scoring in five of those six showdowns.
Yet Alaves have also managed just two total shutouts across the 2025/26 campaign and that’s led to five of their six home matches also paying-out for BTTS backers. With Celta now in town, the opportunity to support a repeat at 2.05 stands-out.
Have Rennes turned a corner? It certainly looks like it.
After weeks of inconsistency, haphazard defending and a side lacking control and cohesion that saw head coach Habib Beye come under increasing pressure, Les Rouge et Noirs produced their best effort of the season to hammer a strong Strasbourg side 4-1, before following it up with a 1-0 success away at Paris before the international break.
The Brittany boys have moved up to eight in the Ligue 1 standings and arrive at Saturday’s showdown with Monaco with only two league losses to their name – only one of which was incurred since August. So now looks the right time to get Les Rennais onside, particularly with the in-form outfit returning to their fortress Roazhon Park base.
Marseille, Strasbourg and Lyon have all been downed here this season – Lens could only share the spoils. That means Rennes have picked up 10 points from a possible 12 against top-seven opposition, whilst the hosts also bagged nine triumphs in 17 here last season despite enduring a very forgettable campaign.
Rennes are rated outsiders for this clash with Monaco and there’s an opportunity to support the hosts here with a +0.0/0.5 Handicap start at 1.78. The selections sees us make money should Les Rouge et Noirs avoid defeat at Roazhon Park, a position that holds plenty of appeal considering Monaco’s injury issues and away-day concerns.
Monaco centre-backs Eric Dier and Christian Mawissa have been ruled out, whilst Mohammed Salisu has trained this week despite picking up an injury on international duty. Either way, the principality club will be weakened in the heart of defence as they look to contain a Rennes side that’s plundered multiple goals in six of their past nine outings.
What’s more, Les Monegasques have fallen to successive league losses at home to Paris and Lens coming into this clash, and have tasted top honours only twice in their past seven Ligue 1 matches. Chuck in their tally of four triumphs in 17 on their travels over the past 12 months (at Nantes, Angers, Auxerre and St Etienne) and Monaco appear uneasy favourites.
The visitors have already given up 13 Big Chances and an average of 1.63 npxG per-game in five away days this term and are facing a Rennes side that’s won the npxG battle in five of their six showdowns at Roazhon Park.
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