All articles by: Ieuan Ivett

Spanish Super Cup 1st Leg – Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Match Preview

by ·Comments Off on Spanish Super Cup 1st Leg – Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Match Preview

Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Match Preview – El Clasico returns to our television screens rather early in the season as it is the Super Cup final between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two titans of Spanish football will face off over two legs before the La Liga season gets underway on the 20th August.

Nou Camp is the home for the first leg of the Super Cup final, where Barcelona will face their first competitive test without Brazilian winger, Neymar. If you haven’t heard of Neymar’s departure you should get out from under that rock of yours as the tricky forward was sold to PSG for a record breaking £198 million. Astonishing.

Real Madrid are fresh from their UEFA Super Cup victory over Manchester United. Casemiro and Isco’s goals were enough to overcome the English outfit, however plenty of off the field talk has dominated the papers. Following the Neymar departure, many football fans then turned their attention to Welsh winger, Gareth Bale and many speculated on where his future lies.

Bale started the match whilst Cristiano Ronaldo took a seat on the bench. The winger has insisted his future remains in Madrid, however he has been amidst rumours of a transfer ever since he got to the Bernabeu.

Messi and Suarez will have the burden of providing goals since Neymar’s departure to PSG Photo Credit: skysports.com

Barcelona will look to begin their domestic campaign with an important home victory in the first leg of this Super Cup final. The Catalans will however also be looking to get their revenge on their Spanish rivals in La Liga to reclaim the league title after Real Madrid won the impressive Champions League and La Liga double in 2016/17. Can the Catalans get an ideal win in the first leg?

Skybet Correct Score Group Betting  – Barcelona to Win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 – 9/2

Ronaldo and Bale will hope to win the League again with Madrid Photo Credit: skysports.com

As aforementioned Real Madrid will look to hit the ground running domestically following their UEFA Super Cup victory. Zinedine Zidane has impressed since taking over the throne at the Bernabeu and many believe he will replicate that success once more this season.

With the only major departure so far being Alvaro Morata to Chelsea for £70 million, he can count himself lucky to still have players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos in his arsenal. The shared feeling is that Zidane would be happy with a draw at the Nou Camp as he will have confidence his players can overcome a Neymar-less Barcelona back in Madrid for the second leg. But will Madrid continue to showcase their ruthless, clinical edge?

Skybet Match Result – Real Madrid to Win – 12/5

 

Suggested Tips:

Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match Preview

by ·Comments Off on Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match Preview

Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match Preview – The first Super Sunday match of the season will see newly promoted Newcastle United host Tottenham Hotspur. Rafa Benitez has returned to the Premier League once again after a successful season with Newcastle in the Championship.

Their return to the Premier League hasn’t been sugar coated as Tottenham have become a force to be reckoned with in the previous seasons. Yet to make a summer signing and with some key faces missing for Spurs, it is unclear how Tottenham will perform as many fans are becoming frustrated with the lack of fresh faces at the club.

Newcastle will be feeling confident they can survive the drop this season; having struggled to find stability for many seasons. St James Park used to be a fortress for the Magpies and many Premier League teams would struggle to get points there and Rafa Benitez will be looking to reinvent this. The club has stayed loyal to the players who gained the club promotion back to the Premier League with former Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle headlining the attack.

Dwight Gayle should lead the attack on Sunday Photo Credit: skysports.com

Aleksander Mitrovic, Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Richie are also some big names that have previously impressed in the Premier League and will feature for Newcastle. A tough draw for their season opener, it will take something special from Newcastle to pull off a result here.

Skybet Match Result – Newcastle to Win – 4/1

Tottenham haven’t had the dream transfer market so far. Right back Kyle Walker left the club to join Manchester City for a whopping £50 million, much to the disgust of many pundits. Left back Danny Rose has also publicly announced he would be interested in a move to another top Premier League side. With not a single arrival through the door yet, many fans aren’t feeling very positive ahead of the season as it currently stands. Striker Harry Kane will remain a key figure for Spurs as he will be looking to defend his golden boot title.

Harry Kane will attempt to win the Golden Boot for the third year in a row Photo Credit: skysports.com

Fellow young English talent Dele Alli has also remained at Tottenham despite rumours linking him with a move away from the club. Manager, Mauricio Pochettino will have an interesting few weeks ahead of him as he will surely look to strengthen his squad. Can they start with winning ways on Sunday? The bookmakers seem to think so.

Skybet Correct Score Group Betting – Tottenham to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 7/4

 

Suggested Tips:

Arsenal vs Leicester City – Match Preview

by ·Comments Off on Arsenal vs Leicester City – Match Preview

Arsenal vs Leicester City – Match Preview – Premier League football returns! Much to the delight of football fans up and down the country. The buzz around this season is bigger than ever with every Premier League fan itching for that first ball to be kicked.

That ball is to be kicked by either 2015/16 Champions, Leicester City or FA Cup winners, Arsenal, who face off Friday night in the Premier League curtain raiser. Under the lights at the Emirates Stadium, the 2017/18 Premier League season will commence.

Arsenal will be looking to continue their form following their Community Shield victory over current league champions Chelsea. Arsene Wenger’s side took Chelsea to penalties and won the first competitive match of the season; rather ironically at Tottenham’s new home ground. Summer signing, Alexandre Lacazette, will front the Arsenal attack this season in their bid to regain Champions League football.

Kolasinac has impressed since joining Arsenal Photo Credit: skysports.com

New arrival Sead Kolasinac also turned some heads in the community shield match with an impressive competitive debut. The defender has a large physique that many Arsenal fans are likening to Sol Campbell. Alexis Sanchez future is still in the balance, however seems to be settled at the Emirates as it stands, though he will miss the opener due to an abdominal strain and could miss the first 2 games of the season. A front three of Sanchez, Ozil and Lacazette is mouth-watering for fans, who believe they can return to their former glory.

Arsenal often perform very well against ‘The Foxes’, having not lost since 2000 in the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger will be hoping to kickstart their season with a solid victory.

Skybet Correct Score Group Betting – Arsenal to Win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 2/1

New signing Iheanacho could lead the line for Leicester against Arsenal Photo Credit: leicestermercury.co.uk

Leicester City will be looking for a season of stability in the Premier League following last season’s efforts. After achieving possibly, the most incredible league victory that football has ever seen, ‘The Foxes’ were then relegation candidates for much of last season domestically, whilst reaching the quarter final of the Champions League. Summer arrival, Kelechi Iheanacho is a signing that has pleased many Leicester fans as he has impressed with his cameos for Manchester City.

Manager, Craig Shakespeare will be hoping to break the Foxes curse against Arsenal, however will find it tough on the opening day and the bookmakers agree. Midfielder, Vincente Iborra is no longer available for Leicester due to injury and tricky winger Riyad Mahrez is also wanting to leave the club so it could be the start to a very busy month for Shakespeare on the King Power throne.

Skybet Match Result – Leicester City to Win – 11/2

 

Suggested Tips: