SuperSportBet: Weekend football betting tips
Kaizer Chiefs vs Sekhukhune Utd
- Date: Sunday, January 19, 2025
- Kickoff: 15:30 SAST
- Venue: Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Kaizer Chiefs host a league match in Durban for a second successive Sunday, hoping to avoid the calamity of last weekend, when they were beaten 1-0 by Lamontville Golden Arrows. Chiefs had high hopes this might be a turnaround season for the ailing club, but they remain in the doldrums, with new coach Nasreddine Nabi looking increasingly like an ill-fit.
Sekhukhune United has a reputation as a difficult environment for a coach to work in, and Lehlohonolo Seema has already had several run-ins with the club’s management. But despite the interference, he gets the job done, having taken the club to a fourth-place finish last season and this term seeing them also in the top echelons, fresh from a 3-0 away thumping of SuperSport United last Sunday.
Key Betting Insights:
No coach on bench: Chiefs coach Nabi begins the first of a two-match suspension and will have to watch, and communicate, from the stands at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Nabi was red carded after last week’s loss as he argued with the referee post-match over the amount of time that was added on at the end of the game. The club had high hopes the Tunisian-born Belgian would end their long trophy drought, but they are already 12 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and played two league games more.
Sekhukhune on a roll: An unbeaten December plus success in the New Year means Sekhukhune have collected an impressive 13 points out of a total of 15 from their last five matches. The four wins and one draw have seen the club conceded a single goal and move up to third in the league standings, looking very much like the form side of the moment.
Betting angles:
Under 2.5 Total Goals @1.38: Between them, Chiefs and Sekhukhune have scored 31 goals in 23 league matches this season, hardly anything to write home about. There do not expect a score fest particularly given that Sekhukhune’s number of goals conceded in the league this season is bettered only by the two frontrunners Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Kaizer Chiefs 1-1 Sekhukhune United @5.50
Expect a closely contested affair as Chiefs battle to find consistency and Sekhukhune prove stubborn. This is a point that Sekhukhune will be happy to garner on the road while Chiefs will be desperate to avoid a second successive defeat in Durban.
- Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Kickoff: 17:00 SAST
- Venue: Community Stadium, London
The visit of Liverpool to the Community Stadium comes fast on the heels of the home game against Manchester City on Tuesday where plucky Brentford fought back to score twice in the last eight minutes and salvage a point in a 2-2 draw, setting off Pep Guardiola on a rant at his players on the field at the final whistle.
Liverpool are firmly in control of the Premier League title race, despite being forced to come from behind to draw 1-1 away at challengers Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night. The Reds may not have been at their very best but ensured they are still heavy favourites to claim the top prize in English football, leading the way by six points while also boasting a game in hand.
Key Betting Insights:
Tough nut to crack at home: Tenth placed Brentford are notoriously difficult to beat at home and did not lose a game at the Community Stadium from the start of the season until a three-match lapse, starting with the pre-Christmas defeat to Nottingham Forest, then the New Year’s Day loss to Arsenal and the FA Cup shock against Plymouth Argyle. But Tuesday provided evidence they are back to their stubborn ways.
Fatigue factor: This will be a fifth game of the month already for Liverpool who must be feeling it in the legs after their taxing tussles against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest. They still have two Champions League fixtures to play before the month’s end and many be feeling there must come a slump as they struggle to keep up with the exacting schedule.
Betting angles:
Over 2.5 goals @1.35: Liverpool have won their last four games against Brentford, conceding just one goal during this time while scoring 10. Liverpool’s 48 goals tally is the highest in the league while Brentford have scored 40 in their 21 games played.
Both Teams to score in 2nd Half @2.45: The second half is likely to see more goals than the first after Tuesday’s draw between Brentford and Manchester City saw all four struck after the break. Eight of the last 11 goals scored in Liverpool matches have come in the second half.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Brentford 1-3 Liverpool @9.0
Liverpool are likely to be just a little too strong for their hosts, even if it will be no easy assignment. It is these kinds of games that will surely confirm the Reds’ status as firm favourites to replace Manchester City as champions.
- Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Kickoff: 19:30 SAST
- Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal are playing the fourth of a five-game run at home, although it did not get off to the best of starts after falling to a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final and then Manchester United on penalties in the FA Cup. Home fans, however, had reason to celebrate in midweek as the Gunners won the North London derby 2-1 over rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa are on a three match winning streak and another victory could catapult them into the top five in the standings. This season has been an arduous one for them with a rare foray into the group phase of the Champions League, but they are again proving competitive and among the trickiest of opponents.
Key Betting Insights:
Home fortress: Arsenal are the only team with an unbeaten Premier League home record this season, having last lost in the league to Villa. They have conceded one goal in their last five home league games, to Son Heung-min of Spurs in Wednesday’s derby.
Do you remember me: Manager Unai Emery returns to his old club still with something to prove. Since his sacking, he has gone on to haunt his former employers on more than one occasion, the most recent in April as Villa won at the Gunners to torpedo their hosts’ Premier League winner odds with a 2-0 victory.
Betting angles:
Only one team to score @1.80: The last three meetings between Arsenal and Villa have been won to nil, once by Arsenal and twice by Villa. This is also likely to be a low scoring affair with both teams giving little away and it could be that the winner comes from the penalty spot. These two sides have won five penalties combined in the Premier League this season, while conceding four.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa @6.50
This is a vital game if the Gunners are to stay in contention for the title and the players will be only too aware of that. A 2-0 away win over Villa at the start of the season will give them the confidence needed to get all three points.
Bayern Munich vs VfL Wolfsburg
- Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Kickoff: 16:30 SAST
- Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
Bayern’s bid to win back their Bundesliga crown is going to plan as Vincent Kompany side’s have a four-point lead over defending champions Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern’s 5-0 romp at home to Hoffenheim on Wednesday kept up their comfortable advantage and they do not look like losing it any time soon.
Wolfsburg, founded as the sports team for the factory workers at Volkswagen, were champions in 2009 and have spent 28 successive seasons in the topflight of German football. But they are a club of remarkable inconsistency, spending time in the title chase as often as they are in the bottom half of the table.
Key Betting Insights:
Halfway there: It is the 27th time in their 60 campaigns in the Bundesliga that Bayern have led the pack after half of the season's games have been played. That is an ominous sign for the rest of the league, given the Bavarians have gone on to convert 23 of their previous ‘autumn championships’ into titles at a success rate of 88%.
Knowing their way to goal: Wolfsburg's record of 38 goals scored in the Bundesliga is the top flight's fourth-best offensive return this season, led by the Danish international Jonas Wind. They looked sharp in Tuesday’s league clash against Borussia Monchengladbach, where the 5-1 home win ensured they moved three spots up to the table to seventh.
Betting angles:
Both teams to score @1.76: Bayern have won each of their last five Bundesliga meetings against Wolfsburg by an aggregate score of 13-5, and the exhibition of goals is certain to continue at the Allianz Arena. The last meeting between the two clubs in August in Wolfsburg produced five goals as Bayern won 3-2.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-1 VfL Wolfsburg @11.00
Bayern have been outstanding at home and rampant in front of goal, they will be confident that they can add significantly to their impressive tally of 53 and boost their plus-40 goal difference even further.
Juventus vs AC Milan
- Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Kickoff: 19:00 SAST
- Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
It used to be that any tussle between these two giants of Italian football, who between them have won nine Champions League titles, would be for the top of the Serie A table but this season it is rather that the two clubs are vying for a European spot, with Juventus fifth in the standings and Milan in seventh spot in the Italian league.
Both clubs were in action on Tuesday when Milan had a narrow 2-1 away win over Como while Juventus took a point at high flying Atalanta. Juventus are now on a run of four matches without victory while Milan unbeaten in their last eight outings.
Key Betting Insights:
Revenge meeting: It was only a fortnight ago that Milan edged Juventus 2-1 on their way to winning the Italian Super Cup in a mini four-team tournament played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Revenge will be in the air as Juventus had kept a clean sheet in each of their three meeting against Milan before that.
Managerial shake up: Sergio Conceicao has he made an instant impact since replacing Portuguese compatriot Paulo Fonseca as Milan coach. Fonseca said that the team struggled with the mental aspect, but Conceicao looks to have injected a bundle of confidence back into the squad. Winning the Super Cup certainly helped that cause.
Betting angles:
Less than three goals @1.73: The last four Serie A clashes between the two sides have produced just two goals – one apiece which proved enough for Juventus to win away last season and for Milan to triumph in Turin the campaign before that.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Juventus 1-1 AC Milan @5.50
Juventus remain the only unbeaten side in Serie A this season but are outside of the top four because they have drawn 13 and won just seven of their 20 matches so far this season. Milan will be cautious and happy to go home with a point.
- Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Kickoff: 21:45 SAST
- Venue: Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, Bergamo
Atalanta were able to wrestle top spot in Serie A two months ago but have let slip that advantage with three successive league draws which has left them four points behind Napoli in the race for the Scudetto. In the meantime, defending champions Inter Mikan have shifted into second place, three behind Napoli but with a game in hand.
Napoli are on a run of five straight wins and coach Antonio Conte's rebuild job has benefitted from his team having no midweek European football due to the disastrous nature of their title defence last season. But they had the trauma this week of seeing their top talent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Key Betting Insights:
Crossroads: Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side are unbeaten in 15 league matches but after the draw against Juventus on Tuesday, he said their Scudetto hopes had reached a "crossroads" as defeat to Napoli would leave Atalanta off the pace and force them to perhaps turn their attention to the Champions League rather.
On form: Napoli top the Serie A table with a winning percentage of 75% in all their league matches. Their away form has seen seven wins in 10 fixtures on the road with a single loss at Verona in their first away match of the campaign. Since they are unbeaten in nine away Serie A games and won their last four, all in impressive style.
Betting angles:
Over 2.5 goals @2.10: Atalanta stormed their way to a remarkable 3-0 romp when they travelled to Naples in November and eight of the last nine meetings between the two clubs have seen over 2.5 goals scored. It is a fixture that is usually most entertaining.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Atalanta 2-1 Napoli @8.50
This will be a close call but Atalanta know that they can ill afford a setback as they chase their first ever league title. They do know how to win the big matches as they showed at the end of last season when taking the Europa League crown in the final over Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen.
- Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Kickoff: 22:00 SAST
- Venue: Estadio Coliseum, Getafe
Getafe are something of an anomaly as they sit 15th in the La Liga table, with only four wins, from 19 matches and a dangerous three points above the relegation zone. But incredibly they have the third-best defensive record in Spanish league this season, only conceding 16 times, but they have the joint worst attacking record, finding the back of the net on just 13 occasions.
Barcelona are no model of consistency either, although come into this game having found form again. They trail Atletico Madrid by four points in the Spanish title race and therefore must put behind them their sudden slump towards the end of last year and work their way back into what could turn out to be a thrilling three-way race for the title, with Real Madrid also in the mix.
Key Betting Insights:
Past results: Getafe’s last three home matches against Barca have all ended goalless. Getafe last beat Barcelona at home in 2020, while Barcelona's last away win against Getafe was in 2019.
Firing on all cylinders: Barcelona have rediscovered their form this month and storm into the quarter-finals of the Copa Del Rey in midweek by thumping Real Betis 5-1. That came after they had also scored five goals in a rampant performance against Real Madrid in last weekend’s Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Betting angles:
Barcelona to score first @1.40: Barcelona score an average of 1.2 goals against Getafe, who have failed to score in most meetings between the two sides.
Away win @1.51: Barcelona has been dominant in their encounters with Getafe, winning 12 of the last 21 matches played at Getafe's home ground. The home side have won only four times and five games have ended in a draw. Last season's meetings ended in a goalless draw in Getafe and a 4-0 Barcelona win at Camp Nou.
Prediction:
Score Prediction: Getafe 0-2 Barcelona @6.50
Never a favourite place for Barcelona to visit, nevertheless their impressive performance of late should see them finally get a goal at the Estadio Coliseum for the first time in five attempts.
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