Kevin Hatchard's European Football Tips: Dembele to impress in Le Classique | OneFootball

European Football Tips

This week we're focusing on France, Italy and Germany

After making a profit last weekend with two winners out of three selections, Kevin Hatchard's back with another set of continental tips...

Football... Only Bettor. Listen to the latest episode now.

PSG v Marseille - What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty Ousmane

Sunday 09 February, 19:45Live on Amazon Prime PPV

It was from Christmas onwards last season that Ousmane Dembele's form really skyrocketed, and he carried PSG on the wave with him, securing their long-coveted first Champions League title. It was an explosion of goalscoring form that netted Dembele a Ballon d'Or, and there are signs that the French international is having another post-Christmas bounce-back.

Since Santa did his thing, Dembele has scored four goals in his last five starts and has delivered two assists. While muscle injuries do seem to still be an issue, there are signs that he is recapturing the pressing ability that coach Luis Enrique prizes so highly.

Dembele scored against PSG's old foes Marseille in the Trophees des Champions recently, as the capital club won on penalties after grabbing a last-gasp leveller. Now PSG face l'OM again, with Roberto De Zerbi's men in turmoil after a dismal exit from the Champions League.

Marseille lost 3-0 at Club Brugge in their final league-phase game, and Benfica's incredible win over Real Madrid saw the Portuguese club take Marseille's place in the knockouts. It was a result that both De Zerbi and sporting director Mehdi Benatia described as shameful, and De Zerbi reportedly offered his resignation in the wake of the defeat.

However, Marseille have saved some of their best displays for games against PSG this season. They beat them 1-0 at the Velodrome, and then pushed them all the way in the Trophee des Champions. I'll back BTTS and Dembele to have two or more shots on target at 8/5 on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder.

Juventus v Lazio - Back in-form US star to shine again

Sunday 09 February, 19:45Live on TNT Sports 1

Juventus suffered a crushing bow in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia on Thursday night as they were swept aside 3-0 by Atalanta, but one of the things that caught my eye was how many good positions American midfielder Weston McKennie is taking up in the penalty area. The former Schalke and Leeds United midfielder has scored six goals in all competitions, and all of those goals have come across the last 17 appearances.

While defeat in Bergamo was a sobering blow, Luciano Spalletti's Juve are flying in Serie A. The Bianconeri have won eight of their last 11 league matches, and are in the mix for Champions League qualification.

Now Juventus face a familiar foe in Maurizio Sarri, who previously led them to the Scudetto in 2020. Sarri's Lazio are eighth in the top division, which feels like a decent spot given that they finished seventh last term and are well behind some of the big hitters in terms of net spending.

Lazio have only conceded one goal across their last four away games, and the market isn't expecting many goals, but that gives us the chance to back McKennie to score at a hefty 4/1. In a tight game it could be one of the American's sneaky late runs into the box that makes the difference, and I just can't resist that price given his current form.

Freiburg v Werder Bremen - Change of coach won't help Bremen

Saturday 07 February, 14:30

Werder Bremen have been sliding towards the Bundesliga dropzone for a while, and after the weekend's 1-1 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach, the northern giants fired coach Horst Steffen and replaced him with former Fortuna Düssledorf and Hamburg boss Daniel Thioune.

Thioune picks up the reins of a side that hasn't won any of the last ten Bundesliga matches, and while Steffen's attack-minded style proved too difficult for his players to grasp, Thioune must somehow find the right balance between attack and defence. He has a limited squad at his disposal, and quite frankly the heat should have been directed towards sporting director Clemens Fritz long before now.

Freiburg qualified directly for the last 16 of the Europa League, and in the Bundesliga they are just eight points off the top six. Coach Julian Schuster has done a magnificent job, seamlessly replacing the long-serving Christian Streich and continuing the club's recent tradition of overachieving in each and every season.

Remarkably, Freiburg haven't lost a home game since Matchday One of the Bundesliga season, and since then they have racked up ten competitive home wins and three draws.

We can get a price of 21/20Bet Builder. That combination has paid out in seven of Freiburg's last 13 home games in all competitions, and with 38 goals conceded in 20 league matches, Werder have one of the worst defensive records in the division.

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