The Squad Weekend Picks (7-9 April 2017)


The Journo, The Fanatic & The Ex-Pro Make up the Squad, a team of expert football analysts who will be bringing you their top picks for the biggest games of the week, every week. Have a read below for all of this weekend's top picks and PLACE YOUR BETS HERE

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

The Journo: Real are top of the league and in excellent form. After resting star players in midweek, they will be feeling fresh and should be able to edge a resilient Atletico side.
The Ex-Pro: Form goes out the window in a match of this scale. Atletico have won their last 5 league games on the bounce and will not be going down without a fight. I’m going with a draw.
The Fan: Real Madrid have been an absolute joy to watch this season and with Ronaldo and Bale back in the squad, I just can’t see them slipping up.

West Ham vs Swansea

The Journo: Swansea have not won away from home in the last 4 but will be headed to a West Ham side who have failed to win in their last 2 home games. It’s a tough one to call but I think Swansea could take the win.
The Ex-Pro: Swansea’s attacking threat will without a doubt cause some worries for the Hammers defence. West Ham have been poor in defending set pieces and Sigurdsson’s delivery coupled with Llorente’s aerial threat could cause a huge headache for the home team.
The Fan: I’m going for a home win here. It’s time for the West Ham faithful to get behind their team and I think they could do it against a Swansea side who have only managed 3 away wins this season.

Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund

The Journo: The hosts have not lost at home the entire season and are not going to go down without a fight. Dortmund on the other hand have only managed 4 away wins from 14 attempts. I just can’t see Bayern losing this one.
The Ex-Pro: I think that it will take a lot more than an inconsistent Dortmund team to dethrone Bayern of their 30 game unbeaten run at home. This one is surely Bayern’s for the taking.
The Fan: I simply can’t see Bayern losing this one. Dortmund are a different team this season and have a long way to go before they could pose a threat to the German Champions

Lazio vs Napoli

The Journo: This one is a tough one to call! Lazio have been the strongest team in the last 5 games having won 4 of their last 5. Napoli however have the best away record in the league having won 5 out of their last 5. These 2 are too evenly matched to pick a winner.
The Ex-Pro: We’re looking at 2 closely matched teams here. Historically, the record is nearly identical and based on similar current form, I can see this resulting in another draw.
The Fan: Napoli lead the hosts by 4 points on the log and have won their last 5 away games. Lazio hold a decent home record but I think the visitors will be too strong for them on the day.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

The Journo: Apart from their midweek loss to Southampton, Palace had won 4 in a row including a monumental win over Chelsea. They will certainly provide a threat but the Gunners should prove a bit too strong for the Eagles.
The Ex-Pro: Palace did it against Chelsea and I see no reason why they can’t do it again against a shaky Arsenal side. Arsenal tend to struggle against physical teams like Palace and I think the Eagles could grab a surprising victory.
The Fan: Arsenal have not lost at home to palace in their last 6 meetings and I don’t think that is going to change this weekend. I’m set on a home win for the Gunners!

Published: 04/07/2017