Weekend acca predictions: Five teams to follow across Europe
Recommended bets:
- Back Athletic Bilbao to beat Real Sociedad
- Back Lazio to beat Lecce
- Back Bologna to beat Cagliari
- Back Bochum to beat Werder Bremen
- Back Lyon to beat Le Havre
The German Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 return after their winter breaks, meaning a packed weekend of action in the top European leagues.
There is also a busy schedule of matches in Italy's Serie A and some big games at both ends of the table in Spain's LaLiga.
Here is a look at five teams to back across Europe this weekend.
Saturday, 5.30pm
One of Saturday's biggest games in Europe is the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in LaLiga.
Athletic's long-serving forward Inaki Williams is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana but Real are missing Japanese winger Takefusa Kubo, their top goalscorer and a key creative influence.
Home advantage could prove decisive for Athletic, who won their last four games at the San Mames before the winter break including a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
They won 2-0 at Sevilla when the season resumed this month before a 3-0 Copa del Rey success at Eibar, while rivals Real Sociedad have scored only twice in their last five matches in all competitions.
Sunday, 11.30am
Lazio have won four of their six Serie A matches since the start of December and their only defeat during that run came against league leaders Inter Milan.
Sunday's visitors Lecce are not in Inter's class and they may leave Rome empty-handed, having lost four of their five away games against the top eight this term.
Lecce are yet to win on the road in 2023-24 and Lazio, who beat rivals Roma 1-0 in a feisty Coppa Italia quarter-final tie on Wednesday, should extend their winning run to five matches in all competitions.
Sunday, 2pm
Bologna were knocked out of the Coppa Italia on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Fiorentina and they have also drawn six of their nine away matches in Serie A.
Their impressive home form means they are well in the hunt for the European places and they look capable of claiming a rare away win at struggling Cagliari.
Bologna have had creditable score draws at Inter Milan and Juventus, the top two in the division, and Cagliari have earned only one point from their 10 games against teams who started this round of fixtures in the top half.
Sunday, 2.30pm
Bochum and Werder Bremen resume their Bundesliga campaigns level on 16 points but Bochum's home form suggests they can steal a march on their rivals this weekend.
They won their last two games on their own patch in impressive fashion, beating Wolfsburg 3-1 and Union Berlin 3-0, and they have also held top-six sides Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt to draws this term.
Werder Bremen have had a miserable campaign on the road, picking up two points from a possible 21, and their five away defeats include a 4-2 loss at bottom club Darmstadt in October.
Sunday, 4.30pm
Lyon are heading in the right direction under manager Pierre Sage, who led the Ligue 1 strugglers to three consecutive wins to nil before the winter break.
Sage's side returned to action with a comfortable 3-0 cup victory over Pontarlier and they should be backed to extend their hot streak against hosts Le Havre on Sunday.
The Normandy side are short on attacking firepower, having scored just 16 goals in 17 league matches this season, and they have failed to find the net in eight of their last 11 games.
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