Andy Brassell's Weekend Football Tips Including Aston Villa Vs Manchester United
European football expert Andy Brassell is back to share his three best selections for this weekend's action across Europe's top leagues.
As always, Andy will provide a fourth selection exclusively for Gambling.com account holders, using the latest odds from Grosvenor.
Andy has been a writer and broadcaster on European football for 20 years and features on TalkSPORT, On The Continent, The Guardian, Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
Mainz Vs St Pauli, Sunday 2.30pm
Few would have had Mainz on their coupon as being the first team to take points off Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, but that’s what they did last Sunday in a hugely successful debut for new coach Urs Fischer.
His Union Berlin team were known for their dogged defending and making the most of minimal possession so, even if they are guaranteed to spend Christmas at the foot of the table, they are far from buried yet.
In fact, a win this weekend against fellow strugglers St Pauli would take them to within a point of their visitors, who have pulled out of their own nosedive with four points in the last two games.
Bottom Of The Bundesliga:
Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
16 | St Pauli | 14 | 11 | -13 |
17 | Heidenheim | 14 | 11 | -17 |
18 | Mainz | 14 | 7 | -13 |
That run coincides with the return of captain Jackson Irvine.
With tension high and both teams with identical goals scored (13) and conceded (26), we are looking at more nails being bitten than goals being scored here.
Andy's Panel Selection 1: Mainz Vs St Pauli: Under 2.5 Total Goals - Evens With Grosvenor
Andy Brassell's Weekend Tips:
- Selection 1: Mainz Vs St Pauli: Under 2.5 Total Goals - Evens With Grosvenor
- Selection 2: Villarreal Vs Barcelona: Over 3.5 Total Goals - 3/4 With Grosvenor
- Selection 3: Aston Villa Vs Manchester Utd: Villa To Win -27/25 With Grosvenor
Villarreal Vs Barcelona, Sunday 3.15pm
These two sides could have been going into this top-of-the-table game with identical recent records.
The leaders have won seven in a row in La Liga since their defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico in October.
Villarreal’s sequence of six straight league wins was paused last week by some inclement weather causing the postponement of their game at bottom side Levante.
The Yellow Submarine are one of the stories of the European season, with their league form as dazzling as their Champions League results are underwhelming.
Top Of La Liga:
Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
1 | Barcelona | 17 | 43 | +29 |
2 | Real Madrid | 17 | 39 | +18 |
3 | Villarreal | 15 | 35 | +18 |
By winning their two games in hand, the current third-placed team would be just two points behind Sunday’s visitors.
If Barca have been peerless at home, it is possible to get at them away from the reopened Nou Camp.
Barcelona's away form has been notable domestically as well as on occasion in the Champions League, with 15 goals conceded in their seven away games in La Liga.
Strap in, because this is going to be fun.
Andy's Panel Selection 2: Villarreal Vs Barcelona: Over 3.5 Total Goals - 3/4 With Grosvenor
Aston Villa Vs Manchester United, Sunday 4.30pm
After nine successive wins in all competitions, Villa’s desperately sluggish start to the campaign feels like it belongs to a different season.
So too does the form of Morgan Rogers, horribly out of nick in early autumn, but now looking like a nailed-on England starter after his decisive contribution to last week’s win at West Ham.
Manchester United, who confused us again in Monday night’s crazy 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, can only dream of this sort of consistency, even though Ruben Amorim’s side are vastly improved from last season and worthy opponents on their day.
Aston Villa Vs Manchester Utd Comparison:
Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
3 | Aston Villa | 16 | 33 | +8 |
6 | Man Utd | 16 | 26 | +4 |
If United could just find some regularity, a top-four place is there for taking.
However, the loss of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo to AFCON is a further blow to their ambitions in this game and beyond.
Andy's Panel Selection 3: Aston Villa Vs Manchester Utd: Villa To Win - 27/25 With Grosvenor
Andy's weekend treble pays out at around 6/1 with Grosvenor.
Got a European treble of your own? Share it with us in the comments below!
