Corner Picks, Best Soccer Bets, Odds Predictions: Can Bayern Munich, Real Madrid seal victory to top the table?

It’s a big weekend in Europe as we have two matches between the first and second placed teams. Sure, it’s not ideal that both matches would be played together on a Saturday, but in defense of the schedule makers, I wonder how they would have seen it happening.

Perhaps you could have predicted that Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich would be the top two teams in Germany this season, but even if you had, I doubt you would have said that Bayern would have finished second. But even Nostradamus could not call Verona the second place in Spain. Yes, the club has the same ownership group as Manchester City, but last season it was promoted to La Liga and finished 10th. Finishing second ahead of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid a year later, this should not happen.

But it has, and it has set us up for a weekend in which the race could be tight in both leagues, or one side could go far ahead.

bayer leverkusen vs bayern munich

date: Saturday, February 10 Time: 12:30 PM ET | Watch: espn+

So how does a German team go about ending Bayern Munich’s streak of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles? this is easy. Never lose a match! Leverkusen has played 20 league matches (59% of the season) and won 16 with four draws. Still, if they lose to Bayern on Saturday, they will drop to second place. A team will have to maintain this level of excellence to topple the German giants. So can they do it? Probably not! It’s hard to go an entire season without losing!

As noted, Leverkusen avoided defeat to Bayern at the start of the season, with a 2–2 draw away from home. But it was early, before everyone knew what this Leverkusen team would be. Bayern Munich knows how important this match is as a defeat would leave them five points behind with only 13 points to play. Can they overcome a Leverkusen team that has allowed only six goals on 6.3 expected goals in 10 home matches? I think so, because while Leverkusen has been phenomenal defensively, their worst performances have (surprisingly) come against the better teams in the league. anyone win? I’m not sure, but I’m expecting goals. Selection: Over 3.5 (+120)

real madrid vs girona

date: Saturday, February 10 Time: 12:30 PM ET | Watch: espn+

I’m a little hazy when it comes to predicting the winner in Germany, but in Spain the picture is very clear. Verona have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, but although they deserve to compete for a top-four spot, the underlying metrics suggest they have been on the winning side of something of a coin-flip. Despite an xG difference of 9.3, Verona’s goal difference on the season is +27. Now, outperforming your xG is sometimes just a sign of luck. Sometimes, it’s a reflection of having an excellent team. After all, Real Madrid’s current goal difference of 33 is less than their xG difference of 19.2. The difference is that Real Madrid have an established track record of this, and Verona do not. So, when they don’t have world-class players, it becomes more challenging to rely on Verona scoring 52 goals at an xG of 40.3.

Furthermore, whether you call it exceeding expectations or luck, Verona have been stronger in both departments at home than away. Then there’s also the fact that Real Madrid have been in such important matches a million times. Team players know what to expect and how to deal with pressure. Not Girona. I am confident that Madrid will win and firmly capture the La Liga title, but the juice is a bit heavy in terms of money. Madrid goal tally is a more attractive game. Selection: Real Madrid over 2.5 (+115)

ac milan vs napoli

date: Sunday, February 11 Time: 2:45 PM ET | Watch: paramount+

On the surface, things are looking up for Napoli. They have managed to score seven points in their last three matches after scoring only seven in their last eight matches. They are also recovering as players like Piotr Zielinski, Mathias Oliveira and Alex Meret have returned to training. But I do not believe that things are fixed. At least, not to the point where I’d expect too much from Napoli heading to San Siro. Not so while Victor Osimhen remains with the Nigerian national team in preparation for Africa Cup of Nations final against Ivory Coast on Sunday, Napoli are a team that is still struggling to score goals, and they may not be able to hold on to a scoreless draw here as they did against Lazio two weeks ago.

Milan are not good enough to win Serie A this season, but although they are not as good as their rivals Inter, they are on a level with Juventus, far above the rest of the league. They are also playing their best football of the season, winning six and drawing two of their last eight. I hope they provide a sobering reminder to Napoli of where they really stand this season. Favorite: AC Milan (-106)

weekend discussion

Our interactions haven’t been great this season, but I have a good feeling about it. it Pays +138,

• Manchester City (-475)
• Liverpool (-575)
• Stuttgart (-245)
• Barcelona (-525)