Some of European soccer’s most storied rivalries scatter the weekend schedule.
Two of those rivalry clashes feature major mismatches in the form of the two clubs.
Liverpool and Real Madrid come into the weekend in much better shape than their longtime rivals, Manchester United and FC Barcelona.
The Reds and Los Blancos are two of the most trustworthy clubs to bet on week in and week out and their consistency makes them the better money line favorites for Sunday’s matches.
Below is a look at why Liverpool and Madrid, as well as a few other teams, are the best bets for the European soccer weekend.
Weekend Soccer Picks (47-51 Record)
Bundesliga: Wolfsburg vs. Freiburg (Over 2.5) (Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Wolfsburg turned one of the best starts across Europe into one of the worst spells of form.
The Wolves are on a three-game losing streak in the Bundesliga and they have conceded multiple goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions.
Freiburg consistently moved up the standings by earning at least a point in its eight Bundesliga games.
Half of Freiburg’s league games featured three or more goals. The fourth-place side in Germany produced six goals in its last three contests. It is in a good spot to take advantage of Wolfsburg’s defensive struggles.
While Wolfsburg’s defense has struggled, its offense still has scored in five of its last six games.
If the Wolfsburg trends hold up, the over should cash for yet another match.
EPL: Crystal Palace (+100) vs. Newcastle United (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
Fading Newcastle United has been one of the best strategies so far in EPL betting.
The Magpies are one of three winless teams and they have five defeats in their first eight EPL games.
Crystal Palace has not lost at home yet. It has one win and three draws, but it has played much more promising soccer than Newcastle.
Palace played well against Arsenal in its last match and it was unlucky not to get the full three points. Arsenal scored an equalizer in second-half stoppage time.
Look for the Eagles to benefit from the confidence gained from their performance at the Emirates to pick up three points at home.
La Liga: Athletic Bilbao vs. Villarreal (Under 2.5) (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET)
Games involving Athletic Bilbao featured the fewest number of goals of any team in La Liga.
Athletic scored seven times and conceded on four occasions across eight games.
Villarreal has a similar record with nine goals for and five tallies against.
Additionally, the last five games in all competitions involving Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal had two or fewer goals.
La Liga: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (+150) (Sunday, 10:15 a.m. ET)
Real Madrid won the last three editions of El Clasico.
Los Blancos come into the first rivalry match of the season with FC Barcelona in much better form.
Madrid is flying high with confidence after a 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Barcelona mustered a single goal against Dynamo Kyiv in its midweek match on the continental level.
Barcelona struggled against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid earlier this season and it does not have the overall firepower that Real Madrid possesses on its roster.
EPL: Manchester United vs. Liverpool (+130) (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET)
It is hard to trust Manchester United.
The Red Devils needed a second-half comeback to beat Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The positivity gained from Wednesday’s win could be short lived for United, who may be without Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford due to injuries.
Liverpool is coming off a back-and-forth win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. The Reds are 3-1-0 on their travels early in the EPL season.
Give me the more consistent team that is dealing with fewer injuries in this spot.