Football betting analyst Mark O’Haire is on a hot streak of 7 winners out of his last 8 European Bets and returns looking to continue his good form with a pair of plays from the Bundesliga and Serie A.
We’re back to the Bundesliga for a tip. Greuther Furth were many people’s favourites for a relegation battle on their return to the Bundesliga but few expected Die Kleeblätter to be quite so bad.
After 11 rounds of action the newly-promoted club sit rock-bottom with a solitary point to their name (W0-D1-L10). Stefan Leitl’s charges have shipped 29 goals and are already eight points away from safety.
The heartbreaking last-minute loss to Eintracht Frankfurt before the international break ensured Furth now hold the unwanted record for the worst-ever start to a top-flight campaign in Germany.
There are serious fears that Greuther could also post a record-breaking low in terms of points garnered in 2021/22.
Die Kleeblätter are bidding to end a nine-game losing streak on Saturday when travelling to Borussia-Park to face Gladbach but few are holding out much hope for the newcomers.
Furth have suffered six defeats from six on their travels and leaked at least three goals on five occasions. Five of those six reverses arrived by a margin of two goals or more.
Borussia Mönchengladbach battered Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal here.
Backing a repeat – Gladbach to cover a -1.5 Asian Handicap hurdle – appeals at 1.83 this weekend. Die Fohlen took time to find their stride under new boss Adi Hutter, however, the North Rhine-Westphalia outfit are beginning to click into gear and deserve to be considered in the Bundesliga top-four conversation.
Gladbach have posted W3-D2-L1 in their past six Bundesliga outings.
They really should have seen off Stuttgart in a thoroughly dominant display here in that same sample. During that sequence, Borussia battered Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal here, and also toppled Dortmund on home soil.
Die Fohlen are well capable of competing with the league’s elite and if they come anywhere close to reaching top gear, we should expect a cushy home success with Gladbach traditionally strong operators in front of their adoring supporters at Borussia-Park.
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For my second selection, I’m happy to go back to the well and support goals in Serie A. Monday night’s meeting between Hellas Verona and Empoli has all the ingredients for a high-scoring showdown with Over 2.5/3.0 Goals particularly appealing as a 1.81 shot.
The Italian top-flight remains the European league of choice for sheer entertainment with matches averaging 3.06 goals per-game.
A chunky 64% of contests have featured Over 2.5 Goals with 62% also banking for Both Teams To Score backers. A massive 38% of fixtures on the peninsula have produced a minimum of four goals.
Encounters involving Verona have proven particularly enticing. Hellas’ helter-skelter outings have averaged a whopping 3.83 goals, nine of which have paid out for Over 2.5 Goals punters with five even breaking the Over 4.5 Goals barrier.
The hosts have only fired a solitary blank this term but also silenced their opponents once across the league campaign.
Visitors Empoli have performed well above expectations since promotion, sitting level on points with Verona in mid-table.
The Azzurri have tabled top honours in four of five road trips, including winning at Juventus, and the guests have also been finding their range in the final-third lately, registering two goals or more in five of eight recent matches.
Expansive Empoli have scored in all bar three fixtures, kept the same number of clean sheets, and will look to take a positive approach here.
Indeed, all the ingredients are in place for an end-to-end clash with both sides fancying their chances of securing three points and little pressure in the offing considering their current league positions.
