Most leagues have been playing cup matches this past week, which means that I’ve basically taken a pass on soccer bets. One rule I have for myself is that I don’t bet cup matches until it gets to at least the quarterfinals, because until that point, most big clubs don’t take them seriously. But we’re back to league play this Saturday, and we’ve got several possibilities available to try to find some winners before college football gets going. Here are my best plays for October 30 on the pitch.
SOUTHAMPTON ML, +125
For whatever reason, the Saints are incredibly comfortable facing off with Watford. Southampton swept both matches last time out, and the Saints are coming off results in their past three matches. Going to Vicarage Road shouldn’t give Southampton too many problems. Watford has scored in each of the past four meetings, though, so if you feel bold, take Southampton and BTTS at +335.
LEEDS UNITED CLEAN SHEET, +195
Sometimes, you can tell a team just doesn’t belong in their league right away, and this is one of those cases. Norwich has scored all of two goals on the season while shipping 23, and the Canaries are unsurprisingly rooted to the foot of the table. The Leeds defense leaves a little to be desired after giving up 16 goals in nine matches, but the Peacocks did manage to blank Watford and should be able to fend off Norwich’s feeble attack, even at Carrow Road.
UNION BERLIN +2.25, -145
Homer pick? Yeah, maybe, but there’s a reason for it. In four matches as members of the Bundesliga, Union has been surprisingly competitive with Bayern. The Iron Ones have drawn their past two matches against the Bavarians, and the previous two meetings saw Bayern held to just two goals. Union is showing it belongs in the Bundesliga, and while it might not have enough to actually beat Bayern, it should be able to keep the margin to two or less.
ATALANTA ML, -115
Lazio have been poor away from home in 2021 in Serie A. Other than a win over newly-promoted Empoli, Lazio have just one point in four matches away this season, and the Eagles tend not to play very well at Atalanta anyway. They’ve lost three of their past four visits against La Dea, and I like Atalanta to exploit Lazio’s road shortcomings and pick up another victory here.
