The European Championship qualifiers are done and dusted with the domestic leagues are returning this weekend. Indeed, some sumptuous matchups are in store for fans, firstly, Manchester City and Liverpool will come face to face at the Etihad, then over in Germany, giants Bayern Munich and Dortmund will meet in a monumental clash that could determine the Bundesliga title.

Event # 1 – EPL – Man City vs Liverpool – 6:30 am

The Premier League returns from the international break, with Manchester City, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, hosting arch rivals Liverpool in a must-win game if they hope to retain their crown. With every week that passes it appears as though Man City are not getting any closer to land that decisive blow on Arsenal’s title charge. Although City have a game in hand on the Gunners and still have to face them, while Arsenal are not in a mood to drop points, so all City can do is win their matches and hope that Arsenal drops points between now and the end of the season.

Man City enter this match unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, including a win over Arsenal, but dropped points against Nottingham Forest a few days later, which may prove costly at the end of the season.

Liverpool have been underwhelming, for the most part, so far this season. After going toe to toe with Manchester City in last year’s title race, many expected the Reds to challenge for top honours yet again this term, but they ran out of gas right at the start of the season and haven’t quite regained their form of the last three seasons, despite showing glimpses of their potential in bits and parts, including a 7-0 demolition of Manchester United. And seemingly typical of them, that impressive win was followed with back-to-back losses to last-placed side Bournemouth in the league, and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

If Liverpool are to have a sniff of a chance of finishing in the top four spot, they have to find a way to win on the road where they have been horrendous so far this season. However, starting at City might not be too far-fetched as they have beaten City twice this season, a 3-1 win in the Community Shield was followed by a 1-0 win at Anfield, but City are a completely different beat at the Etihad, which may prove to be the difference in this eagerly awaited clash.

KEY STATS

• Man City – have won their last three Premier League games but have yet to win four in a row in 2022-23. They last did so in April/May last season (a run of five).

• Liverpool – are looking to complete the league double over Manchester City for what would be just a second time in the last 17 seasons, previously doing so in Jürgen Klopp’s debut campaign in 2015-16.

• Both sides – Manchester City have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool (W7 D5), going down 4-1 in November 2015.

The betting tip. City win.

Event # 2 GER – Bayern Munich vs Dortmund – 11:30 am

It’s been a chaotic and busy few days at Bayern Munich, with Coach Julian Nagelsmann unexpectedly being relieved of his duties and replaced by former Dortmund Coach Thomas Tuchel.

The domestic title is at stake when Bayern Munich host Borussia Dortmund in the Der Klassisker on Saturday. Bayern enter this clash one point behind leaders Dortmund and can regain top spot with a victory over their rivals. Bayern are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating PSG over two legs, but it’s their domestic form which cost Julian Nagelsmann his job. Following the World Cup break, they played to three straight draws, lost away to Gladbach in late February and again to Leverkusen in their last game.

Meanwhile, it’s been 11 years since another team, other than Bayern Munich, won the Bundesliga, and it was Dortmund that did it in 2012, and now, they have a chance to do the same again. Their recent excellent form coupled with Bayern’s indifferent form has seen them jump to the top of the standing, with nine rounds of matches to go. Indeed, they travel to Bayern having won 11 of their last 12 matches in the league and will be aiming to maintain their top spot win another win. They will be high on confidence ahead of this game having dispatched Cologne 6-1 in their last league game, but fans will still be mindful of the fact that Bayern have defeated them in each of their last eight trips to the Allianz Arena.

KEY STATS

• Bayern Munich – have won only five of their 10 Bundesliga games in 2023 (3D 2L) and, with 52 points after 25 games, they are playing their weakest Bundesliga season in 11 years — in 2011/12 they had 51 points at this stage of the season, which was the last time the Munich side were not German champions (Borussia Dortmund were).

• Dortmund – are the best team in the second half of this Bundesliga season with 22 points after eight match days. At the same time, this is a club record for Dortmund after eight matchdays of the second half of the season — only in their last championship-winning season 2011/12 had they collected so many points at this stage.

• Both sides – for the first time since the second matchday of 2019/20, Borussia Dortmund is at the top of the Bundesliga table. The last time this was the case in the second half of the season was on matchday 27 of 2018/19, when the team suffered a 0-5 defeat away at FC Bayern.

The betting tip. Draw.

JUSTBET ODDS – Man City vs Liverpool

Saturday, April 1, 2023

PredictionOdds on PredictionOdds Calculation

MAN. CITY TO WIN$1.57which means a $1,000 bet would pay $1,570

LIVERPOOL TO WIN$5.33which means a $1,000 bet would pay $5,330

MATCH TO DRAW$4.20which means a $1,000 bet would pay $4,200

Odds on the Home Team (City) winning the game 3-1 at full time$22.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $22,000

Odds on the Away Team (L/Pool) winning the game 2-3 at full time$45.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $45,000

Odds on the game drawing 2-2 at full time$15.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $15,000.

JUSTBET ODDS – Bayern Munich vs Dortmund

Saturday, April 1, 2023

PredictionOdds on PredictionOdds Calculation

BAYERN MUNICH TO WIN$1.45which means a $1,000 bet would pay $1,450

BORUSSIA DORTMUND TO WIN$5.50which means a $1,000 bet would pay $5,500

MATCH TO DRAW$5.25which means a $1,000 bet would pay $5,250

Odds on the Home Team (Bayern) winning the game 3-1 at full time$10.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $10,000

Odds on the Away Team (Dortmund) winning the game 1-2 at full time$18.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $18,000

Odds on the game drawing 3-3 at full time$41.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $41,000.