Man City Hope to Clinch Third Consecutive Title; Race Hits Climax in Germany 

Davidson Abraham 

On Thursday, Newcastle are set to host Brighton in what is a must-win for the Magpies as they hope to secure a historic Champions League qualification. Should Brighton win, it will bolster their chances of qualifying for the Europa League. Any of the two sides could win the game, but Newcastle are more likely to win, giving their home advantage. In the Europa League, the kings of the Europa League, Sevilla and record Italian champions Juventus, will battle it out in a winner-takes-all encounter in Spain. 

The first leg in Turin ended in a 1-1 draw; Sevilla’s home advantage and experience in the competition gives them a slight advantage over Juve in this fixture, but either of the two sides are capable of making it to the final. West Ham and Fenerbahce have been tipped to win or draw against AZ Alkmaar and Trabzonspor, respectively. On Saturday, Arsenal and Man United are expected to beat Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, respectively, if there are no surprises. In Scotland, Celtic have been tipped to routinely pick up all three points against St. Miren, while Porto are expected to dispatch Famalicao away from home easily. As the club football season in Europe comes to an end, most league Champions have been confirmed, but that has not been the case in the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League to a lesser extent. 

In the Bundesliga, Germany’s big two, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, are embroiled in a fierce battle for the German title. Dortmund are expected to keep up the fight with a win against Augsburg on Sunday. In the EPL, Arsenal have bottled the premier league title, and Manchester City’s triumph is now a matter of when rather than if. City need a single win from their remaining three games to clinch the title, and they have been tipped to do that in style by beating Chelsea at the Etihad. 

Premier League, Bundesliga Permutations by Davidson Abraham 

English Premier League (England) 

Manchester City are first on the table with 85 points after 35 matches, while the second-placed team Arsenal are on 81 points after 36 games. 

Who needs what? 

 Manchester City: The Cityzens need to win one of their last three games or avoid defeat in all remaining games to secure the league title. 

 Arsenal: The Gunners looked destined to win their first league title in 19 years, but they capitulated as we entered the last 10 games of the season. The league title is almost fully out of their sight, and it would take a miracle for them to win the title. Arsenal need to win their last two games and hope City lose their last three to win the title. 

Manchester City’s remaining fixtures: Chelsea (H) and Brighton (A); Arsenal’s remaining fixtures are Nottingham Forest (A) and Wolves (H). 

Bundesliga (Germany) 

Bayern Munich currently sit at the top of the Bundesliga table with 68 points after 32 matches, while Borussia Dortmund are the second-placed team with 67 after 32 matches after 32 matches. This is the fiercest title race in ages and could go down the wire to the final day. 

Who needs what? 

 Bayern: The Bavarians will win the league if they win their remaining two games, or they win need to win their remaining two games, or if they win one of the two games and Dortmund drop points in one of their own remaining fixtures. 

 Dortmund: Dortmund will win the league if they win their last two games and Bayern drop points in any of their two remaining games. Dortmund’s title hopes partly depend on third-placed Leipzig, the only team likely to upset Bayern. They have to win their games and hope Bayern drop points. 

Bayern Munich’s remaining fixtures are Leipzig (H) and Koln (A); Borussia Dortmund’s remaining fixtures are Augsburg (A) and Mainz (H). 

Date 

Fixtures Betting Tips 

Thursday 18 May 2023 Newcastle vs Brighton over 2.5 

Thursday 18 May 2023 Sevilla vs Juventus over 1.5 

Thursday 18 May 2023 AZ Alkmaar vs West Ham over 1.5 

Thursday 18 May 2023 Fenerbahce vs Trabzonspor 1X 

Saturday 20 May 2023 Bournemouth vs Man United 2X 

Saturday 20 May 2023 Nottingham vs Arsenal 2 

Saturday 20 May 2023 Famalicao vs Porto 2 

Saturday 20 May 2023 Celtic vs St. Miren 1 

Sunday 20 May 2023 Man City vs Chelsea 1 (Haaland to score) 

Sunday 20 May 2023 Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund 2