Barcelona, Roma and Monaco feature in Europe's top tips this weekend

Almost all of the big teams in Europe’s top five leagues have been handed kind fixtures this weekend in a bid to take stock, perhaps rotate their teams with fresh legs and continue to charge towards league supremacy. This is no such luck for Paris Saint-Germain, however, who host Ligue 1 leaders Monaco in arguably the fixture of the weekend. 

SAMPDORIA vs ROMA - Roma to Win @1.75

Roma are perhaps not at their most exciting since Juliano Spalletti returned to the club but they are certainly playing their most consistent football of his second tenure with the Giallorossi. The quality of football is still a long way behind Napoli and the depth of their squad is not comparable to Juventus, but they are ahead of Napoli in the league and only one point behind the Old Lady in top spot. Only Inter (6) are on a current longer winning streak in Serie A than Roma (4) this season and they should continue to apply pressure on Juventus this weekend. 

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PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN vs MONACO - Draw @4.00

Nice’s unlikely title challenge has taken a serious dent since the turn of the year after dropping six points in their last three league matches to surrender top spot in Ligue 1 to a free-scoring Monaco outfit. Leonardo Jardim’s side have arguably been the most consistent team in France this season and have often blown opponents away, highlighted by the fact they’ve scored the most goals in Europe’s top five leagues this season (64).

However, they travel to reigning champions PSG on Sunday in what is probably their biggest test of the season. Unai Emery’s side look to have finally found their feet and come into this fixture off the back of six straight wins in all competitions. It’s their best form in nearly 12 months when they won 16 competitive matches in a row and if they are able to put a similar run together now they will be hard to stop in their quest to claim a fifth straight Ligue 1 title.

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PSG are still yet to find their rhythm at the Parc des Princes, but if any team was to restrict this free-scoring Monaco side then Emery’s side would be your best bet. In fact, they’ve only conceded three goals at home all season in the league. Emery’s side are only one win away from catching Monaco and will not gamble everything in this fixture to avoid slipping six points back, which might prove a gap too big for the capital side. As a result, the draw is more than an option and is made even more attractive by the odds of @4.00 on Bet365.

RB LEIPZIG vs HOFFENHEIM - Leipzig Win by 1 @3.60

This weekend throws up the clash the Bundesliga’s surprise packages. It’s not clear which is the bigger shock - title contenders RB Leipzig or that Hoffenheim remain the only undefeated team in Europe’s top five leagues this season. The latter defended their record against table toppers Bayern Munich, but still have to play at the home of three of the other top five teams in the table. The WhoScored match forecast throws up four scenarios, all of which look at how RB Leipzig will attack Hoffenheim.

SASSUOLO vs JUVENTUS - Over 2.5 Goals @1.80

Sassuolo have proven handy giant killers in recent years but they’ve endured a torrid campaign and are still trying to kickstart their season. They are out of Europe and cannot find consistency in their performances, although the long-awaited return of Domenico Berardi should help them for the rest of the season.

Juventus come into this match off the back of arguably two of their best performances of the season, where they followed up their 2-0 win over Lazio with Coppa Italia success against AC Milan in midweek. Rotation is expected by Max Allegri after two testing matches in the space of four days, but they will still be dominant in this match despite Sassuolo’s best efforts.

There have been over 2.5 goals in four of Sassuolo’s last five matches in all competitions, while Juventus boast an identical record themselves. All situations listed in the WhoScored Match Forecast are in favour of Juventus finding a route to goal through several methods.

REAL BETIS vs BARCELONA - Under 2.5 Goals @2.87

It’s a rare prediction for a Barcelona game, but there have been under 2.5 goals score in five of Real Betis’ last six home league games. Barcelona have had similar in two of their last four away matches in La Liga, while the tough Copa Del Rey tie with Real Sociedad will also affect the Blaugrana here.