Sunday acca predictions: Five teams to follow across Europe

Steve Davies
Spotlight
Timo Schultz appears to have Cologne moving in the right direction
Timo Schultz appears to have Cologne moving in the right direction

The fascinating matches keep on coming across mainland Europe on Sunday with Cologne our big-priced punt to cause a stir in the Bundesliga.

We have a pair of tips from Ligue 1, fancy Mallorca to take care of Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga and are impressed enough with Genoa to think they can avoid defeat against Atalanta.

Sunday, 4.30pm

Cologne were able to celebrate a rare victory last week and can make it two in a row by winning at Hoffenheim.

No one's pretending last week's 2-0 defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt has transformed Cologne’s fortunes — it was 0-0 until Frankfurt were reduced to 10 men and they finished up with nine — but the Billy Goats are definitely improving under Timo Schultz.

Schultz had drawn two and lost to Dortmund in his first three matches in charge and now has a win to build on as well.

And Hoffenheim look to be there for the taking. Since stunning Stuttgart away at the end of October, they have won just one of 12 matches and are without a clean sheet since September.

Sunday, 2.00pm

Toulouse can warm up for their Europa League double-header against Benfica by beating drab travellers Nantes.

Carles Martinez Novell’s side are decent at home, beating Liverpool and drawing against Paris Saint-Germain, while last week's 3-2 win at Reims was a real confidence booster.

Nantes are struggling with just one league win since October and they have failed to find the net in their last three Ligue 1 outings. Indeed, they are the joint-lowest scorers on the road in France's top flight this term. 

Sunday, 5.00pm

It is hard to emphasise quite what a fantastic job former Italy frontman Alberto Gilardino is doing in charge of Genoa, to such an extent that it would represent a surprise if they did not get something out of Atalanta's visit to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Il Grifone are currently on an eight-match unbeaten streak, a sequence which includes home draws against both Juventus and Inter Milan.

Indeed, they have not lost at home since October 7 and even the winning machine that is Atalanta is going to struggle to get the better of them.

Alberto Gilardino has been impressing in the Genoa dugout
Alberto Gilardino has been impressing in the Genoa dugout

Sunday, 3.15pm

Rayo have won only one of their last 13 in LaLiga — 2-0 at a Getafe side who finished with eight men on the pitch — so they cannot be confident flying into Palma to take on Mallorca.

The hosts are hardly pulling up trees, but just three losses in their last 15 in all competitions suggests they might be in a false position.

These sides are two of Spain's lowest scorers but if either team is going to nick a 1-0 win, it may well be Mallorca.

Sunday, 2.00pm

And finally, back to Ligue 1 where this season's surprise package Brest represent a really decent bet at bottom club Clermont.

Eric Roy's Bretons are unbeaten in nine in the league and go into this shoot-out on the back of rock-solid draws against PSG and Nice.

Their form contrasts markedly with Clermont, who have won only once at home this term and come into the game on the back of a 4-0 drubbing at Lille.

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Tags

LaLigaSerie ALigue 1BundesligaHoffenheimFC CologneToulouseNantesBrestClermont FootGenoaAtalantaRayo VallecanoMallorca