SATURDAY IN EUROPE: The Ultra previews REAL BETIS v BARCELONA, JUVENTUS v BOLOGNA and GIRONA v REAL MADRID all with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
REAL BETIS V BARCELONA
3.15pm We have a fantastic Saturday From Europe on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE! We have three cracking games from La Liga and Serie A with Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid all in action. We kick off the day with La Liga with Real Betis hosting Barcelona, and it’s been a good week for Barcelona as they hammered Mallorca 5-1 away from home then sat back and watched Real Madrid lose away to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night. That was a huge run for Barcelona because they had dropped points in three games and Real Madrid came into those midweek games only one point behind with a game in hand – now the gap is back to four points. A 5-1 win is always a nice way to steady the ship too; it was turning into the first mini-crisis for Hansi Flick. Real Betis away is usually a tricky game, but it’s been a while since Real Betis have been at their best. It’s not a surprise that Barcelona come into the game as the odds on favourites at 1.63 with Real Betis 5.7 and the draw is 4.6 at the time of writing. Real Betis peaked in the 2021/22 season, but since then it’s been downhill – sixth in 2022/23 was followed by seventh in 2023/24 and now they sit down in tenth.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Betis didn’t get European football this season looking at that trend, but ironically they are creating the most chances this season. They had a mid-table attacking figure for the last two season, but this season they have an average xG created os 1.51 – only Barcelona and Real Madrid actually have a better attacking figure. Betis have also been reasonably solid at the back; they are in the top six on defensive figures – there are some positive signs, they just need to start getting over the line in games now. Looking at their figures, it’s clear their away performances have been a major issue. At home their average xG created is 1.84 and they are conceding an average xG under 1.0 – that’s impressive. They come into this game without a win in four, but three of those games were away from home. I know Barcelona are the better side here, and I’m happy to keep stakes small, but I do feel Betis can make this game closer than the odds suggest based on their home performance figures. I’m happy with a small Barcelona lay.
The Ultra Says:
One point lay (liability) Barcelona to beat Real Betis at 1.63 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BtsBrc
JUVENTUS V BOLOGNA
5pm Next we move over to Serie A as Juventus host Bologna. This should be a very interesting game and market. Juventus are the last remaining side unbeaten in Serie A this season, but that stat doesn’t mean their backers have been collecting! They’ve had more draws than wins, and while they’ve been exceptionally impressive at the back, they have also been quite limited going forward. Eight draws from their fourteen games leaves them coming into this weekend six points off Napoli at the top of the table. It sounds odd to say this about an unbeaten side at this stage of the season, but I just don’t see Juventus in the Serie A title race this season. Bologna had an incredible season last time to get into fifth and claim Champions League football – they have really struggled in Europe this season with only one point from their five games, and they’ve also been struggling in Serie A too. They are sitting in mid-table coming into this weekend and with Juventus and AC Milan sitting just above them, it’s hard to see them getting into the European spots this season. That being said, a win here would certainly give their chances of getting into the mix a big boost!
Juventus come into the game as the odds on favourites at 1.75 with Bologna 6.0 and the draw is 3.7 at the time of writing. I have to say I felt Juventus were a good bet to beat Lecce last weekend, but they failed to get that job done with another draw. Lecce did bag a 93rd minute equaliser so Juventus might feel a little hard done by, but it was another game where they didn’t create much – their xG figure was under 1.0. Juventus have an average xG created this season of 1.24 which is very poor; it’s miles off the top sides around them in the table. Bologna have struggled this season, and they even have a better attacking figure at 1.38. While Juventus have clearly been impressive at the back – they have an average xG conceded of 0.87 which is one of the best defensive figures in Europe – Bologna haven’t been bad at the back either; they are in the top five with a figure of 1.1. Juventus just haven’t fired up front this season, and the 1.75 looks a little short here to be honest. I couldn’t put anyone off a Juventus lay, but Under 2.5 goals looks a very nice position here at 1.64 in what should be a cagey affair.
The Ultra Says:
Two points win Under 2.5 goals at 1.64 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/JuvBlo
GIRONA V REAL MADRID
8pm We move back over to La Liga to finish Saturday from Europe as Girona host Real Madrid. As I mentioned above, it’s been an eventful week at the top of La Liga with Barcelona and Real Madrid both in action. It wasn’t a good week for Real Madrid – they watched Barcelona won 5-1 and then lost to Athletic Bilbao. Just when they closed the gap on Barcelona to one point with a game in hand, they have work to do again. Girona had a superb season last time, but anyone who looks at xG figures could see that they were overperforming and they’ve dropped down to mid-table again this season. They got hammered by Real Madrid last season too, so it’s no surprise that Real Madrid come into the game as the odds on favourites. Los Blancos are trading 1.79 with Girona 4.8 and the draw is 4.1 at the time of writing. Real Madrid had a difficult game away to Bilbao midweek, and in fairness they didn’t go into that game odds on. I do feel that the 1.79 offers a little value here looking at how Girona have been playing this season.
With that being said, even when things were going very well last season, Girona were always better at home compared to away. Their average xG created this season is only 1.24 which is a mid-table figure, but this comes up a little and they concede less chances at home too. To be honest though, based on the overall performances of the sides, Girona are there for the taking. I know Real Madrid have been having some issues fitting Mbappe into the side – his work rate has been a massive issue off the ball which is causing Bellingham problems and he was the star man last season. Missing a penalty during the week doesn’t exactly help the feeling towards Mbappe from fans too, but with all those factors I still feel that Real will get the job done here. I’m happy to reduce stakes a little given that Girona are clearly a better side with home advantage and you have to say that Real haven’t fully been at their brilliant best – however the performance level from Girona this season is quite poor and I’d have Real Madrid shorter than their current 1.79.
The Ultra Says:
Two points win Real Madrid to beat Girona at 1.79 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/GraRma
