Top Soccer Picks of the Week - April 25th Edition

Top Soccer Picks of the Week – April 25th Edition

We’re in the waning weeks of La Liga and the English Premier League, while Major League Soccer is well into its second month. Barcelona and Manchester City have run away with the La Liga and EPL titles, respectively, but things are still sorting themselves out in the early going in MLS, with NYC FC and Atlanta United atop the Eastern Conference and Sporting KC and LAFC leading the Western Conference. Take a look at our soccer betting previews for a matchup from each of these three leagues.

Top Soccer Picks of the Week – April 25th Edition

Sunday, April 29

La Liga: Atletico Madrid at Alaves (10:15am ET)

Atletico Madrid comes in off a scoreless draw at home against Real Betis last Sunday. Atletico Madrid came out without much energy, holding possession for just about a third of the match. It was a physical contest, with 31 combined fouls, and with Atletico drawing two yellow cards and Real Betis drawing five. Atletico did rest several of their starters, as they are locked into second place in the La Liga table and have a Europa League semi-final tie with Arsenal opening on Thursday. Both sides hit the woodwork with shots, but neither could find the back of the net. This made 11 straight clean sheets for Atletico at home. Alaves rides in on the wave of a 4-0 rout of Las Palmas on the road last Sunday. Las Palmas put up more shots (12-10) and had possession for more than two-thirds of the contest, but it was Alaves that found the net four times, starting with Minur El Haddadi in the 50th minute and ending in extra time as Ruben Sobrino added the fourth goal. That loss doomed Las Palmas to relegation — but can Alaves bring the same energy against the second-place team in the league? Atletico may not be focused on the contest with their Europa League aspirations — and Alaves will be looking to slay Goliath. But will it be enough? Soccer Betting Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1, Alaves 1

English Premier League: Arsenal at Manchester United (11:30am ET)

Manchester United comes in off a 2-0 win at Bournemouth a week ago Wednesday, thanks to goals from Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku. Man U had possession for slightly over half the game. That was a nice bounceback for the team after taking a bad home loss against West Brom the week before. Now Man U have a four-point lead over Liverpool for second place in the table with four matches left. Beating Bournemouth in this way was necessary, but Man U still did not look like a second-place side in the EPL. Arsenal delivered a rousing 4-1 win over West Ham at home last Sunday. They picked up goals from Nacho Monreal and Aaron Ramsey and had a brace from Alexandre Lacazette. They doubled up West Ham in shots and shots on target and held the ball for over two-thirds of the game. They sit in sixth in the EPL table, 17 points behind Man U, but if United do not come out with enough energy at home, this could be another bad loss for a team that can no longer catch Manchester City for the title. Soccer Betting Prediction: Arsenal 2, Manchester United 2

MLS: FC Dallas at NYC FC (6:30pm ET)

NYC FC took their first loss of the season last week, taking a 3-0 pasting in Portland against the Timbers. NYC FC controlled possession for 75% of the game — and were by far the more aggressive side, leading in fouls, 16-6, and drawing a pair of yellow cards. However, despite taking fewer shots, Portland was able to deliver an easy win. NYC FC has some distractions right now, as coach Patrick Vieira has been linked in rumors to the head coaching job at EPL side Arsenal. NYC FC chose to rest Yangel Herrera and Jesus Medina, who had started all of the games to this point. If NYC FC can keep that level of possession against Dallas, they should win. FC Dallas have won two matches in a row, including a 2-0 home blanking of the Philadelphia Union last Saturday. The scoring didn’t get underway until well into the second half, as Mauro Diaz talled in the 63rd minute from the penalty spot, and Maximiliano Urruti followed it up with an insurance goal in the 73rd minute. FC Dallas won despite having possession slightly less than half of the game and played a less physical game than the Union, but they forced 11 corners.  Adding Roland Lamah and Santiago Mosquera to the lineup meant that FC Dallas could create opportunities without having to rely on Diaz — which is how they drew the penalty. But can Dallas go to New York and knock off the league’s hottest team? Soccer Betting Prediction: NYC FC 3, FC Dallas 1