Kevin Hatchard's European Football Tips: Italian clash to underwhelm

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Milan v Juventus - Giants fighting over scraps as Inter soar

Sunday 25 April, 19:45
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There's a viral clip that still generates memes aplenty which shows a man in a kebab shop calmly eating his chips while a massive brawl breaks out just yards away. In Serie A, Inter are serenely munching their dinner while the likes of Milan, Juventus and Napoli trade blows.

Inter have gone 12 points clear of their city rivals, and the Scudetto is all but secure for the Nerazzurri. Having failed to last the pace in the title race, Milan now want to hang onto second spot, but they could be leapfrogged this weekend by in-form Juventus.

Milan (and indeed former Juventus) coach Max Allegri has distanced himself from links with Real Madrid and the Italian national team, insisting he's in for the long haul at San Siro. A return to the Champions League is an important step, and will help mould the squad that Allegri wants. The Rossoneri have run out of steam since beating Inter in early March, and have lost three of their last five in Serie A.

Juventus have had a rollercoaster ride, but things are looking up. Coach Luciano Spalletti has signed a new contract, as has star forward Kenan Yildiz. A run of five wins and two draws has seen the Turin giants surge clear of upstarts Como in the race for Champions League qualification.

It says a lot about Juventus's momentum and Milan's decline that Juve are favourites here, and I think it's fair enough, but the way to go here is Under 2.5 Goals at 1.910/11. These two drew 0-0 earlier in the campaign, and an Under 2.5 Goals bet has landed in six of Juve's last eight games. Indeed, Spalletti's men have kept clean sheets in five of their last six league outings, and this is a game where both teams could live with a draw.

On the Milan side of things, an Under 2.5 Goals wager has landed in 12 of the last 17 in Serie A, and they do have the best defensive record in the division.

Rennes v Nantes - Canaries to keep losing altitude

Sunday 25 April, 16:15
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It's a tough time to be a fan of Nantes. When it comes to relegation, the club has been circling the plughole for several seasons, and they are now nine points adrift of safety. The only real hope for Vahid Halihodzic's team is to somehow make up the five-point gap to the playoff spot, but it's been a bad week.

Last weekend Les Canaris were 1-0 up at home to Brest, only to lose Dehmaine Tabibou to a ridiculously harsh red card (the referee has since asked for it to be annulled), and then to concede an equalizer in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Frankly, they are the kind of mishaps that are suffered by teams doomed to the drop.

A midweek trip to the Parc des Princes was never likely to yield any joy, and a 3-0 defeat to title-chasing PSG duly followed. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia smashed in a brace, leaving Nantes staring down the barrel of a costly demotion.

A trip to in-form Rennes doesn't look much more appealing. SRFC are blossoming under new coach Franck Haise, and in Esteban Lepaul they have Ligue 1's top scorer. The former Angers hitman has delivered 17 top-flight goals this term, and he has found the net in seven of his last 10 games.

Rennes have won seven of their last nine in Ligue 1, and I'll use the Bet Builder here to double up a Rennes win with a Lepaul goal at evens.

Betis v Real Madrid - Arbeloa to suffer another blow

Friday 24 April, 20:00
Live on Premier Sports

It appears that Alvaro Arbeloa's chances of retaining the Real Madrid manager's job have dwindled to the point where only the most remarkable of comebacks in the La Liga title race will see the interim boss stay put. Madrid are out of the Champions League after a pulsating tie against Bayern Munich, and after the top two both won in midweek, Los Merengues remain six points behind Barcelona in the standings.

Real Madrid were once again booed by their fans in midweek, despite a 2-1 win over Alaves. Having built a 2-0 lead, Madrid slipped into the lower gears, and were even given a late scare. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior score fine individual goals, but this team continues to struggle against modest opposition. It's tempting to wonder whether the dismissal of Xabi Alonso earlier this term was too hasty, and whether Madrid would be better off had they had the courage of their conviction.

Opponents Betis are fifth in La Liga and hoping that is enough for Champions League qualification. There's a battle royale between Spain and Germany for the final Extra Performance Slot, but Betis did themselves no favours in that regard by crashing out of the Europa League at home to Braga. Having drawn the first leg 1-1 in Portugal, Betis took a 2-0 lead in the second match before collapsing to a 4-2 defeat.

However, it's worth noting that Betis have only lost three La Liga home games, the most recent of which was in the first week of December against Barcelona. Real Madrid have lost two of their last three on the road in La Liga, coming unstuck at Osasuna and Mallorca, and I'm happy to lay them here at a skinny 1.9210/11.

Now read Lewis Jones on why Wolves are a must-bet against Spurs on Saturday