April 20, 2018 - Matchplug Blog

Orlando City vs San Jose Earthquakes Match Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

Orlando City defeated the Philadephia Union in their last league game, a win that makes it three victories on the bounce for the Lions and a major upturn in form having previously gone 3 games winless. The Lions are now 6th on the Eastern Conference league table and they would be looking to continue their good run of form here.

Orlando City were second from bottom in the MLS table last season and fresh fears were raised when they failed to beat DC United, the only team they finished ahead of last season in their opening game of the season, losing their next two games against Minnesota United and New York City didn’t help to calm nerves either, but their last three wins have changed moods among fans and their players.

They were 14 goals scored in their last three wins against New York RB (4-3), Portland Timbers (3-2), and Philadephia Union (2-0). Last season Orlando City’s first clean sheet of the season also came against the Philadephia Union, what a coincidence that is.

Unlike their host, San Jose Earthquakes started the season brightly before fading away into a run of bad form. The Earthquakes won their first game of the season 3-2 with Dutch attacker, Danny Hoesen scoring twice against Minnesota United to give them their only win of the season so far.

They have lost out to Sporting Kansas City (3-4), New York City (1-2), before picking up two draws against Philadephia Union (1-1) and Houston Dynamos (2-2). The Earthquakes have been involved in interesting clashes this season with four of their five league games this season seeing over 2.5 goals scored and both teams scoring in 100% of those matches.

The Earthquakes have scored in all of their matches this season while conceding in all also. Conversely, Orlando City have scored in all but one of their six league games this season while their defence have also kept out their opponents in just one game this season.

Juventus vs Napoli Match Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

This is arguably the biggest game of the season in the Italian top flight as challengers, Napoli head to the Turin Stadium to play current leaders and defending champions Juventus in a game that should confirm who could win the Serie A this season. A Juventus win here would set Max Allegri and his players up for a seventh straight Scudetto title while losing here would throw the title race open again with just 5 games left to play.

Juventus suffered a minor upset in midweek when they drew 1-1 at Crotone, that result cut the gap between them and their visitors to just 4 points and they would be looking to take it back to seven in this game. The defending champions have not lost a home game in the league since 2015 and that makes it incredibly difficult for Napoli to get the win here.

Napoli would also head into this game with some confidence as they have not lost an away league game in the last 18 months, winning 12 and drawing 4 of those matches and they would surely be up for the fight here too.

Napoli have conceded just once on their last five visits to teams inside the top four, keeping a clean sheet in more than 60% of their away games this season. They are also used to seeing low scoring games on their trips with most of their away games ending in under 2.5 goals. Juve on their own have conceded only five goals at home this season, with Milan the only team to score at the Turin Stadium in their last 9 home league games.

Chelsea vs Southampton Match Preview, Football Prediction and Betting Tips

Chelsea have had a predictably bad season despite winning the Premier League last season. Axing Diego Costa and bringing in an inexperienced and goal-shy Alvaro Morata was always going to see them struggle for the cutting edge they need in attack for a successful season. They are currently outside the top four and their hopes of making it back there is fading by the week.

Antonio Conte would most likely not remain as Blues manager beyond this season, however, he would want to end the season on a high by winning the FA Cup and this semifinal offers him the chance to show that he can do just that.

Chelsea defeated an in-form Burnley 2-1 in midweek and that followed a 3-2 come back win over Southampton in their previous game, they should head into this game with high confidence to send them to the finals.

Southampton collected a point from their last league game against Leicester City on Thursday. While that win helps them end a three-game losing streak, they are still 4 points short of surviving the drop, which should be a priority for them at this stage of the season.

The Saints usually a solid team at the back, but the reverse has been the case this season as they have conceded at almost every attack they face. Infact, they have conceded at least 3 goals in 4 of their last 6 games and that could be the case here again. Chelsea are also struggling to shut teams out as they have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last ten games.

Manchester United vs Tottenham Match Preview, Football Prediction and Betting Tips

This game offers both sides a chance to end the season with a trophy after they have both all but confirmed that they would be playing in the Champions League next season. Going by the reputation of both managers, just a top-four finish would not be seen as much of a success and their fans would be looking at adding the FA Cup to their trophy cabinets.

Manchester United have had an inconsistent month of April which started with a 3-2 win at Manchester City after going 2 goals down in the first half. They followed that up with a disappointing 1-0 home loss to bottom-of-the-table West Brom, before a heavily-rotated side saw off Bournemouth in their last league game.

Tottenham have not had a better month. They started April with an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea before losing to Manchester City at home by the same score. They also failed to beat Brighton in midweek after Pascal Gross cancelled out a Harry Kane opener to help the home side to a 1-1 draw.

Tottenham are technically at home in this game as they have been using the Wembley Stadium as their home turf this season. They have also impressed when they play there so far with Manchester United losing 2-0 on their last visit.

Manchester United have four wins and three losses from their last seven meetings with Spurs.

Sevilla vs Barcelona Match Preview, Football Prediction and Betting Tips

This year’s Coppa Del Rey final sees the same teams that competed in the 2016 edition come head to head as Sevilla tries to get revenge, while Barcelona looks to get their fourth consecutive Coppa Del Rey title, becoming the first team to do so since Athletic Bilbao in the 1930s.

Barcelona are favourites here as they look to wrap up a domestic double in Ernesto Valverde’s first season at the helm. Despite remaining unbeaten in the La Liga and dominating on the home front, Barcelona’s shock loss to AS Roma in the Champions League has cast doubt over their ability to perform when Lionel Messi is not on the pitch or having a poor day. They would love to win this Cup and get their fans happy after that exit.

Sevilla on their part have also had an underwhelming season despite reaching the Champions League quarterfinals. They are currently seventh on the league table and may miss out on Europe next season. However, on their day, Vincenzo Montella’s men can be a handful for any team as Barcelona, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have found out this season.

Sevilla have lost seven of their last eight games to Barcelona, but they were the team that has come closest to beating the Catalans in the league this season before playing a 2-2 draw, that perfomance shows that they could get a goal here.