Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – May 8th Edition

This week winds up the 38-week season of the English Premier League. Manchester City has long since clinched the title, but there are still some matches to be played out to sort out the top four — and the relegation zone. We’ll also take a look at your soccer betting preview of the upcoming Europa League final, and we’ll give you a preview of a key MLS matchup from this coming weekend.

Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – May 8th Edition

MLS Power Rankings: Minnesota United make big jump after latest win https://t.co/EGkpQofZVj pic.twitter.com/8UULfr3oFm

— 365FootballOrg (@365FootballOrg) May 8, 2018

Wednesday, May 9

MLS: Sporting Kansas City at Atlanta United FC (7:30pm ET, ESPN+)

We’re looking at a potential preview of the MLS Cup, as Atlanta United will host Sporting Kansas City in cavernous Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United enters the match on an eight-game unbeaten streak, most recently having taken down the Chicago Fire, 2-1, on Saturday. Manager “Tata” Martino replaced Chris McCann with Franco Escobar on the three-man backline to take on the fire. Ezequiel Barco talled his first goal in MLS in the 53rd minute, and Josef Martinez added an insurance goal in the 57th minute, giving him an MLS-best seven scores on the season. Kevin Ellis made things tense in the 61st minute by putting the Fire on the board. Atlanta United now lead the league with 22 points, two points ahead of NYC FC and Sporting Kansas City. Sporting Kansas City saw an unbeaten streak of seven games come to an end two weeks ago, as they lost to the New England Revolution, 1-0, but bounced back with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids this past weekend. Manager Peter Vermes started Cristian Lobato at left back and Jimmy Medranda in the midfield, two lineup changes against the Rapids. Daniel Salloi had eight shots, including three on goal — and he had the game’s only tally in the 16th minute of the contest. Soccer Betting Prediction: Atlanta United FC 2, Sporting Kansas City 1

EPL: Huddersfield at Chelsea (2:45pm ET)

Chelsea sit in fifth place in the English Premier League table, just two points behind Tottenham Hotspur for fourth (and a place in the Champions League). Both Tottenham and Chelsea have makeup games to play tomorrow and then another match on Sunday. Chelsea prepare to welcome Huddersfield Town tomorrow, a side that sit just three points ahead of the relegation line. Huddersfield did go to Manchester City last Sunday and came away with a 0-0 draw, but City may well have lost interest in pushing hard after clinching the title, while Huddersfield must work to avoid slipping into the next division. Huddersfield only managed five shots (with three on goal) and had possession for just 20 percent of the game, but they were able to earn the point for the draw. Chelsea delivered a 1-0 home win over Liverpool last week, despite possessing the ball for just 31 percent of the game. They peppered the goal with 12 shots, with four on target, and Olivier Giroud got the game’s only tally in the 32nd minute. That big home win against a fellow contender near the top of the table gives Chelsea momentum going into this matchup, and while Huddersfield may have kept a clean sheet against City, Chelsea has a lot more motivation. Soccer Betting Prediction: Chelsea 3, Huddersfield Town 1

Wednesday, May 16

Europa League Final: Marseille vs Atletico Madrid (2:45pm ET)

Atletico Madrid will challenge Marseille for the 2018 UEFA Europea League Final after both teams advanced through the semifinal round last week. Marseille knocked out Red Bull Salzburg with a 3-2 result over both legs, thanks to a corner kick awarded in the 116th minute of the second leg. Atletico Madrid knocked out Arsenal with a 2-1 aggregate score, winning the home leg in 1-0 fashion. The final will be played in Lyon’s Parc Olympique Lyonnais, so there should be plenty of fans in the stands supporting the French side. Atletico Madrid has a much more structured approach to the game than Marseille, and they play the game on a different level than the sides that Marseille has knocked out, such as Athletic Bilbao and RB Leipzig. Poor showings against AS Roma and Chelsea saw them sent out of the Champions League despite permitting just four goals in six group matches. Marseille have two strong wingers in Florian Thauvin and Dimitri Payet, so they have a dynamic attack, but Atletico are not the sort of side to make mistakes on the back end. Soccer Betting Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2, Marseille 1