Brad's Euro Bankers: Back this 8/1 European football acca

The 2024-25 season is now well underway with the kick-off of most of Europe's major leagues last weekend. 

Germany's Bundesliga remains the only top five league yet to start but the wait is almost over there, too. Last season's headline-grabbers Bayer Leverkusen are up first as they travel to Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday following their history-laiden campaign last term. Xabi Alonso's men will be eager to prove they're more than a 'flash in the pan' and are here to stay, competing at the top levels in domestic and European competition in years to come. 

Well, I'm happy to announce that, following a successful Champions League play-off treble earlier this week, so am I!

This is the first of a weekly column where I take a gander over Europe's top leagues and pick out a couple of lines to keep an eye out for over the coming weekend. 

To avoid early-season burnout - no one remembers who's top in the league in September, remember - I thought I'd start slow with three potential exploits which stood out when carrying out the research for this piece. 

The success of said research will, I guess, be determined in the accuracy of the words I am about to lay before you. Be kind, don't shoot the messenger and write me off too early if things don't quite go the way I envisage. However, if all three do indeed come in then feel free to lavish me in superlatives for the foreseeable. 

Right, less of the waffle. Let's dive in!

Brad Walker's best bets for Saturday, August 24, 2024

Selection #1 - Barcelona to beat Athletic Bilbao (4/6)

As a kid, I grew up marvelling at the Barcelona teams of the noughties and 2010s. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Ronaldinho, Puyol, Alves. The stuff of dreams.

Yeah, this Barcelona side isn't quite soaring at the heights of their predecessors. Perhaps the understatement of the century. The uncertainty at the Camp Nou was captured perfectly by the back-and-forth nature of former manager and club legend Xavi's committal and then eventual departure from the club at the end of last season. An initial announcement that he wanted to step down in January was later followed by a fresh committal to the club moving forward, before the Barca hierarchy remarkably opted to cut ties for good in May.

Nevertheless, despite some questionable decisions at boardroom level, they do boast a host of burgeoning talent who have already proven their ability to compete at the top level. The words 'Lamine' and 'Yamal' come to mind. 

It was one of their older heads who grabbed the headlines in the 2-1 away win against Valencia last week, though. A Robert Lewandowski brace secured Barca's first three points under new manager Hansi Flick at the start of a season they hope will culminate in a 28th La Liga title. Reigning champions Real Madrid surprisingly dropped points away at Mallorca in a 1-1 draw the day later, allowing the Catalans to steal an early lead in the race to become campeones in 2025. 

Lewandowski celebrates the second of his two goals at the Mestalla Stadium last week. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Talking of silverware, Bilbao come into the new campaign having ended a 40-year wait for a major trophy after securing a 24th Copa del Rey title last season. Ernesto Valverde, a former Barcelona manager of course, will be targeting a spot in the Champions League places this time around after posing a dangerous threat to the sides above them for a large portion of the 2023-24 campaign.

Hanging on to in-demand left-winger Nico Williams will be vital if they are to do so. His remarkable performances at Euro 2024 saw a host of Europe's big-hitters lurking for his signature but, at the time of writing, the 22-year-old looks set to remain at Estadio de San Mamés for another season.

Valverde knows a quick start will be vital in order to target a run at the top four but their record at Barcelona suggests a win is unlikely this weekend. Bilbao haven't recorded an away victory against their Catalan counterparts since the 2001-02 season. In fact, Bilbao have lost five consecutive away fixtures against Barca in La Liga, conceding 12 and scoring just once in the process.

Combined with the hosts' impressive home record - they've won seven of their last eight - it's hard to see anything other than a Barcelona win here.

Selection #2 - Mainz to beat Union Berlin (21/20)

Both of these sides dangerously flirted with dropping down to the 2. Bundesliga last season. Mainz finished two points above the relegation play-off spot, while Union lived life even more on the edge. The latter finished above vfl Bochum on goal difference to avoid a one-off match with Fortuna Düsseldorf to decide their Bundesliga fate. 

Mainz will be hoping for a less eventful season this time around - avoiding another managerial merry-go-round will certainly help. Four separate faces occupied the Mainz dugout at separate intervals in 2023-24 before the club eventually settled on Bo Henriksen. The Dane took over the reins in February and steered the club to a nervy but welcomed 13th-place finish. 

One pillar of their Bundesliga survival was their home form. Despite languishing around the relegation places for the bulk of the season, Mainz actually finished in the top ten when it came to their home record. In fact, six of their seven wins in the German top-flight came at the MEWA Arena. All six of those victories occurred after Henriksen's arrival - they are yet to lose a home match under his tutelage. 

If I haven't already convinced you to back the home win, then inspection of Union Berlin's away record will certainly boost my chances. Only Bochum fared worse on the road last season, where Union picked up a measly 10 points across 17 away fixtures. They've also won just one of their last 16 on their travels.

New manager Bo Svensson - another Dane - will be hoping to change matters, starting with his first competitive match in charge this weekend. However, Mainz' resurgence under his fellow countryman Henriksen makes them the smart pick here.

Mainz enjoyed an upturn in form after Henriksen's appointment as manager in February. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Selection #3 - Lyon to beat Monaco (8/5)

Kylian Mbappe's departure to Real Madrid has left reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in a notably weaker position than they were in last summer. Several of Ligue 1's chasing pack will be eyeing a shot at the title in 2024-25 as a result, including both Lyon and Monaco, who collide this weekend.

Monaco secured a second-place finish in manager Adi Rutter's first season in charge, though they too will have been hampered by the departures of Youssouf Fofana and Wissam Ben Yedder. Meanwhile, Lyon ended up in seventh after a tumultous season which saw employ three separate managers.

They eventually settled on former academy head coach Pierre Sage, who is now set for his first full season overseeing the senior squad. Lyon have been far from convincing in recent years - they haven't finished in the Champions League places since 2019 and suffered a damning 3-0 loss at Rennes last weekend - but they do boast an encouraging record against Saturday's opponents. 

Not only did they win both of their meetings in Ligue 1 last season, Lyon are also unbeaten at home against Monaco in six outings. Rouges et blancs haven't tasted victory at the Groupama Stadium since April 2017.

The away side have been far more impressive overall in recent seasons but their poor record, coupled with the uncertainty left by several key departures, makes a Lyon victory the sensible pick for this one.