Barca to maintain perfect start as they travel away to Mallorca
Barcelona will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign away to Mallorca on Tuesday night.
The Catalan outfit have picked up 16 points from their six league matches this season, which has left them at the top of the table, while Mallorca are 15th, boasting five points from their opening six games.
Mallorca have won one, drawn two and lost three of their opening six La Liga matches of the season to collect five points, which has left them down in 15th position in the table.
Barcelona were uninspiring in their goalless draw with Getafe on the opening weekend of the new season, but they have not put a foot wrong since, beating Cadiz, Villarreal, Osasuna, Real Betis and Celta in the league, in addition to a 5-0 victory over Royal Antwerp in the Champions League.
Xavi‘s side now have two more league games against Mallorca and Sevilla before travelling to Porto at the start of October for their second group game in the Champions League.
Mallorca are capable of making this a difficult match for Barcelona, but it is tough to back against the Catalan outfit at the moment, as they continue to find ways to win matches. This could be a tight fixture in terms of the scoreline, but we are backing Barcelona to extend their winning run.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Sevilla welcome Almeria to Estadio Ramon
Sevilla will be bidding to record just their second victory of the 2023-24 campaign when they welcome Almeria to Estadio Ramon in La Liga on Tuesday night.
The home side, who are 16th in the table, will enter the match off the back of a goalless draw with Osasuna, while basement team Almeria played out a 2-2 draw with Valencia last time out.
Sevilla finished 12th in La Liga last season, which proved to be their worst final spot in Spain’s top flight since being relegated at the end of the 1999-2000 campaign.
There have been small steps in the right direction in recent matches, and a win on Tuesday would lead them nicely into a huge match away to Barcelona on September 29.
Sevilla have a lengthy injury list at this moment in time, with Mariano Diaz, Sergio Ramos, Suso, Marcos Acuna, Marcao, Tanguy Nianzou and Alfonso Pastor all on the sidelines.
Sevilla are yet to really get going this season, but they will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this contest, including a win over Las Palmas in their last home league match. Almeria are capable of picking up a positive result here, but we are just backing a narrow Sevilla win.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Juventus aim to bounce back as they host high-flying Lecce
After a calamitous defeat at the weekend, Juventus will aim to bounce straight back on Tuesday evening, when they host Serie A high-flyers Lecce in Turin.
Juve return to the Allianz Stadium having seen their unbeaten start torn to shreds in Sassuolo; meanwhile, their southern counterparts have just posted a third win from five and are yet to be defeated.
Travelling to Lecce after posting three wins from their first four league games, Juventus seemed to be on track for a start to the season that would put them back in Scudetto contention after several years of decline.
They may still mount a push for the title in the months ahead, but the nature of their collapse aginst Sassuolo will worry head coach Max Allegri.
Atalanta may await at the weekend, but Juventus cannot afford to take Lecce lightly, so Max Allegri’s squad rotation could be relatively limited on Tuesday evening.
Lecce have not won away to Juventus since 2004, and even after making a fast start to the Serie A season, that trend is not likely to end this week. All of the Giallorossi’s victories have come at Via del Mare, and Juventus will be sufficiently fired up in front of their own fans to bounce back from their weekend embarrassment.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Lille seek eighth consecutive victory at home as they host Reims
Lille welcome Reims to Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Tuesday in the final fixture of week six in Ligue 1. The home side are seeking their eighth consecutive victory in front of their fans, while the visitors look to end a disappointing defensive road record against a side they have recently fared well against.
Lille must look forward to Tuesday’s game since they played out a 2-2 draw with Rennes in gameweek five.
Lille return to the front of their adorning supporters knowing they could match a club record of consecutive home triumphs on Tuesday — eight successive victories.
Seven straight wins on home soil is the league’s current lengthiest sequence, and Lille’s run without conceding a goal at home this season is a statistic they hold alone in the competition this term.
Maximum points could take the 10th-placed Les Dogues into the European places, with success seeing them move above Strasbourg (10 points) and Le Havre (nine points).
Despite the away side’s recent impressive record against Lille, Reims have been leaky defensively at the start of the new campaign, conceding five times in three road fixtures. Lille’s impressive home record give them the edge, but Reims could end that seven-game winning run due to their attacking approach, with both sides likely to play out an entertaining game at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
