Storyline: With holidays now come and gone, it’s back to a flurry of action in European football. Who’s up? Who’s down? Here’s my analysis. Written by Craig Simkin, London. For timely betting tips Craig recommends Bet Advisor.com
Many of Europe’s top leagues have enjoyed a prolonged break over the festive period, but plenty has been going on: title tussles and relegation battles are beginning to take shape. Here are five top ‘talking points’ from the last couple of weeks:
#1 – Arsenal Is the Real Deal This Season
Courtesy: ibtimes.com
Over the holidays Arsenal faced one of the toughest runs in the English Premier League. Yet the Gunners came though with flying colours. Yes, the side that usually bottles their title challenge at this time of year is still very much in the mix for honours – two points clear at the top, to be precise – and they have a run of three wins from four to thank. First up were rivals Manchester City and the Gunners won through a hard-fought contest thanks to goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud. Then followed a Boxing Day battering at the hands of Southampton – 0-4 to be precise – which led many pundits to think their trademark annual collapse was afoot. But, no. Back-to-back wins against Bournemouth (2-0) and Newcastle (1-0) ensured that Arsene Wenger’s side saw 2016 as league leaders. How they fare the rest of January – with fixtures against Liverpool (away), Stoke (away) and Chelsea (home) to come – will dictate how far they can go this term. But at 2.50, they look worth backing for the Premier League title.
#2 – Barca Is On the Ropes
One win in four matches….that’s not the kind of run you’d expect from Barcelona, but it’s exactly what they are experiencing at the moment. Those two draws prior to Christmas enabled Atletico to take top spot and for Real to close the gap on the Catalan giants. And while a resounding 4-0 success against Real in the first match after winter break will have warmed the cockles, a subsequent 0-0 stalemate with Espanyol – a side that has kept a clean sheet in just 28% of their games this season – will have set alarm bells ringing. Atletico has taken six points since Christmas and Real four. There’s plenty of life left in this La Liga title race yet.
#3 – Sporting Delivers Hammer Blow to Porto
Courtesy: aliexpress.com
It’s probably the last game these two sides would have wanted to play following the winter break, but top-of-the-table Sporting Lisbon dealt second-placed Porto’s title hopes a huge blow with a 2-0 win on Saturday. Two goals from Algerian frontman, Islam Slimani, condemned Porto to their first league defeat since January 2015 and set the wheels in motion for Sporting to win their first title since 2002. They are now two points clear at the summit of the Primeira Liga table and they’ve conceded just seven goals in their fifteen league outings to date. Everything is in place for Sporting. 3.30 punters are well placed to get involved right now.
#4 – Meltdown in Moscow
If there’s one thing you don’t want to do in the run up to Christmas and New Year’s it’s throw away your advantage at the top of the table with a series of benign performances. But that’s exactly what CSKA Moscow has done. Three defeats in four games have left their supporters on tenterhooks as Rostock and Locomotiv close in on their lead. Now they will have to wait until after the break in March to resume hostilities. It could be a long, bleak winter.
#5 – Festive Hangover For Gent
Courtesy: www.sbobetindo.org
There has only been one gameweek since the festive period in Belgium and already Gent has slipped to just their second defeat of the season, overcome by KV Mechelen, 0-2. That gave both Anderlecht and Club Brugge the chance to close the gap at the head of the division…and neither side disappointed their fans. Anderlecht overcame a plucky Westerlo outfit 2-1, while Club Brugge was impressive in a 4-1 triumph over Kortrijk. The next few weeks in Belgium should be well worth watching.
