Five best soccer futures bets to place during the international break
by Sam Cox | by Tyler Doty
Without the distraction of club football, the international break is an ideal opportunity to make some soccer predictions for the remaining few weeks of the European season. Leagues are nearing their conclusion, cup competitions are deep into the knockout phases, and top scorer races are delicately poised.
After looking at season-long statistics, form trends, injury lists, and upcoming fixtures, we have identified the five best soccer futures to place during this break:
Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final -- +180 at DraftKings
Real Madrid lost three of their first five Champions League matches. They won in a row after that, including an emphatic win over Atalanta before knocking out Manchester City and Atletico.
Carlo Ancelotti has once again taken Los Blancos to the latter stages of the competition. He’s done so despite a defensive injury crisis, leading to some makeshift backlines.
Real face Arsenal in the last eight, a team with limited Champions League experience and their own injury concerns. Get past the Gunners, and it’s a matchup with PSG or Aston Villa to earn yet another final appearance.
Arsenal’s defense could slow Real’s attack down. PSG just outplayed Liverpool over two legs. It’s not an easy path, but Real are the most talented and Champions League-seasoned team in their half of the draw.
Kylian Mbappé to top score in the Champions League -- +1400 at Caesars
Despite failing to score in the tie against Atletico Madrid, Kylian Mbappé is only four goals off Raphinha’s competition-leading tally of 11 Champions League goals.
Of players left in the competition, Ousmane Dembélé is the only one with a higher non-penalty expected goals per 90 mark than Mbappé.
After taking some time to settle as a Galactico, Mbappé has scored 17 goals in his last 17 appearances. If you fancy Los Blancos to reach the final, there’s serious value taking Mbappé at +1400 with only a four-goal deficit.
Newcastle to finish in the top four of the Premier League -- +230 at FanDuel
Now to the Premier League: two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand, Newcastle are well-positioned for a top-four finish. The international break allows the Magpies to celebrate their League Cup win without impacting their league performances, and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton means they can fully focus on finishing in the top four.
There’s a risk Newcastle aren’t as motivated after the emotional day at Wembley. It could – and should – give them a boost to finish the season strongly – Eddie Howe will be desperate for his team to build on the club’s first major trophy in 70 years.
The Magpies host Brentford, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace in their next four. The other match is a trip to doomed Leicester. A 12-point haul is a reasonable expectation for the jubilant Toon Army.
Milan to finish in the top four of Serie A -- +2500 at FanDuel
Fourth in expected goal difference, coming off two wins before the international break, and only six points off fourth, Milan are an appealing longshot bet to finish in Serie A’s top four.
Like Newcastle, the Rossoneri can focus the majority of their energy on league play. The Coppa Italia tie with Inter could be a springboard to surge up the table in the final weeks of the campaign, and they don’t need to worry about European commitments after being knocked out by Feyenoord earlier this year.
Napoli, Fiorentina, Udinese, and Atalanta are four challenging fixtures coming up in Serie A, but this Milan team has the talent to take at least six points from those matches. If they manage to take eight or more points, their top four odds are bound to shorten considerably.
Athletic Club to win the Europa League -- +330 at DraftKings
Although favored, DraftKings has Athletic Club at the longest price to win the Europa League. This is a great option given their tie with Rangers in the quarter-finals.
Athletic have already seen off Roma and Besiktas in the knockout phase. They are on the weaker side of the draw with Rangers, Manchester United, and Lyon. It’s been an up-and-down season for Lyon, while Manchester United are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League amid continued struggles under Ruben Amorim.
Eintracht Frankfurt are having a strong Bundesliga campaign, albeit while overachieving their expected metrics. Tottenham, like United, are massively underachieving. Lazio have only won one of their last five league matches and scraped past Viktoria Plzen in the last round.
