Brad's Euro Bankers: Back this 6/1 European football acca on Saturday

Brad's Euro Bankers is BACK for column entry number three after a brief hiatus away from the keyboard. 

As if I needed the reminder, it was lovely of Bayer Leverkusen to decide to lose their first Bundesliga match in 462 days to scupper my predictions a month ago. 

Without giving too many spoilers away, I've backed against them at the Allianz Arena this week, so congratulations in advance to Xabi Alonso and co on what I'm sure will now be a statement victory against their title rivals on Saturday evening. 

In all seriousness, my recent form has been promising. Several winning trebles came in over the international break and I also won all but one of my tips from our weekly Premier League Betting Show last weekend.

As if I hadn't filled my boots already, I was at Anfield to witness Cody Gakpo's late strikes versus West Ham which secured a winning 10/1 bet-builder in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday!

Is this the start of a golden streak, or will I fall flat on my face this weekend? Let's find out! 

Brad Walker's best European football bets for Saturday, September 28, 2024

Real Sociedad to beat Valencia (19/20)

It's fair to say neither of these sides have inspired during the early stages of the campaign. 

Real Sociedad have qualified for Europe in every season since Imanol Alguacil took over in 2018 but form will need to drastically improve if they are to continue that streak this time around.

'Los Txuri-urdin' sit just one point above the relegation after seven matches played, only one of which have ended in victory (D2, L4). Poor finishing in front of goal has been a recurring theme - they're averaging less than a goal a game so far - and squandered several quality chances in the first half of their 0-0 draw versus Real Vallodolid in their last La Liga outing. 

The stalemate made it four league games without a goal for Alguacil's men - a run not helped by an out-of-form Mikel Oyarzabal. The Spanish forward finished as the club's top-scorer last season with 14 goals in all competitions, yet has not scored once so far this time around. 

After all of that, you're probably wondering why I'm backing Sociedad to emerge victorious this weekend. Well, one of the four teams sitting below them are this weekend's visitors, Valencia. 

Like Sociedad, they have also made a dismal start to the new campaign. Valencia's record is actually identical to their Basque counterparts, having won one, drawn two and lost four, but their main concern has been playing on the road. 

Oyarzabal has not yet hit form for Real Sociedad. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Ruben Bajara's men have lost all three of their away fixtures after struggling to create opportunities at the top end of the pitch. They've scored just once on their travels so far and have averaged just 0.9 xG across those matches, raising concerns ahead of kick-off at the Reale Arena on Saturday. 

Valencia have also only won once in their last five visits to their Basque counterparts during what has been a tough period for the club. Having failed to record a top four finish since 2018/19, the club have instead found themselves in the bottom half for two of the last four seasons. 

And that is why, ultimately, I'm backing the home victory this weekend. Sociedad are out of form but, unlike Valencia, there's a feeling Alguacil's crop will soon pull themselves out of their slump because of how they've performed in recent seasons. 

Better finishing would have seen them win comfortably at Valladolid last weekend and, though they've been out of sorts so far at the Reale Arena, I expect their added quality to get them over the line this time around.

Bayern Munich to beat Bayer Leverkusen (3/4)

German giants Bayern Munich were left to lick their wounds last season after missing out on the Bundesliga title for a first time in 12 seasons following Bayer Leverkusen's remarkable performance.

Not only did they fail to secure top spot, but the Bavarians were also remarkably pipped to second-place by another surprise package in Stuttgart.

Former manager Thomas Tuchel was consequently shown the exit door and was replaced by Burnley boss Vincent Kompany, despite the Belgian overseeing the Clarets' immediate relegation back to England's second division.

To be fair to Kompany, his side have looked superb during the early weeks of the campaign. Not only have Munich won all four of their Bundesliga matches, they've also scored 16 goals while conceding just three in the competition so far.

In fact, their last three matches in all competitions has seen Bayern net an incredible 21 goals, five of which were scored by new signing Michael Olise.

The Frenchman was signed for £50 million from Crystal Palace in the summer and has slotted right in at the Allianz, alongside the likes of Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane in the Bayern attack. 

Former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise has hit the ground running since his summer move to Munich. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Their output will be a huge concern for Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen, who have already conceded nine times in their opening four games. Considering they shipped just 24 goals en route to a historic title-winning campaign where they didn't lose once, their defensive figures make for stark reading. 

A 3-2 home loss to RB Leipzig at the end of August also handed Leverkusen their first league defeat in 35 matches, though their other three league outings have all ended in victory. 

Still, their leaky defence is not only placing increased demand on their forward players but will also have Bayern's frontline licking their lips ahead of kick-off on Saturday evening. 

Because of this, I can't envisage anything other than a home win in a high-scoring encounter this weekend. How can Leverkusen hope to contain the likes of Kane, Musiala and Sane when they're still yet to record a Bundesliga clean sheet? 

The short answer is - they can't.

Lens to beat Nice (11/10)

Our third and final selection sees new Nice manager Franck Haise travel to his former club Lens on Saturday afternoon. 

The Frenchman opted for a move away from the Estadio Bollaert-Delelis at the end of last season following a disappointing final term, which saw Lens drop from second to seventh in the French top-flight.

Lens haven't exactly struggled in the wake of Haise's absence, mind. New boss Will Still has overseen an unbeaten start to the new campaign in Ligue 1, after they won two and drawn three of their opening five matches. 

Still's men are also yet to concede a goal in front of their home fans and prepare to welcome a Nice side which has struggled on their travels so far. 

Haise's men are only two points behind Lens in the table but have already tasted defeat twice this season - both of which came in away fixtures. Five of the six goals they've conceded also came on the road.

Keeping it simple, I'm going to conclude this piece backing another victory for Still's crop this weekend. They look a very organised outfit, particularly when compared to the visitors, who are still finding their feet under Haise during the opening weeks of the campaign. Lens at an odds-against price of 11/10 looks a great pick.