5 Big Sports Matches You Can’t Afford to Miss this Weekend

This weekend sees the return of the the Rugby Championship, along with some huge football clashes from around Europe. Here are the 5 you need to set your eyes on this weekend:

Manchester United v Crystal Palace

Saturday, 16:00

Manchester United and Crystal Palace find themselves on opposite sides of the form table – the Red Devils are currently unbeaten and level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table, while Crystal Palace have scored no goals and have 6 successive losses in a row. Unfortunately for Palace they’re going away to a team at the top of their game, United have already scored 17 goals so far this season and with Palace having conceded the most goals in the league (13) so far this seems set up to be a potential hammering for them. If they manage to get anything out of the game it’ll be a massive boost for them and new manager Roy Hodgson, but it seems unlikely.

Prediction: Manchester United 3 – 0 Crystal Palace. You can bet on Manchester United v Crystal Palace here.

South Africa v Australia

Saturday, 17:00

The Springboks have a lot to prove come Saturday when they take on the Wallabies in Bloemfontein. A humbling 57-0 loss to the All Blacks have left many questions over the potency of the Springboks’ attack and defence, and they’ll have to put in a hardy performance if they’re to stand a chance at defeating a spirited Wallabies side. Australia, on the other hand, have had a fairly decent Rugby Championship campaign so far, and grabbing the Boks’ scalp (which they missed out on in the Perth draw) will be a huge boost for Michael Chieka’s men.

Prediction: Springboks by 10. You can bet on the Springboks v Wallabies match here.

Chelsea v Manchester City

Saturday, 18:30

The Premier League match of the weekend is between first place City and third place Chelsea, with the London-based team having the opportunity to draw level on points with the Citizens if they manage a win. Antonio Conte’s men will be massively boosted by their late winner in the Champions League at Atletico Madrid during the week, so they’ll be raring to go. City, however, have the most potent attack in the league right now and are likely going to be putting serious pressure on the Chelsea defense. It should be the most charged match of the season so far with two title challengers going head to head and having the ability to make a serious statement.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 – 3 Manchester City. You can bet on Chelsea v Manchester United here.

Hertha Berlin v Bayern Munich

Sunday, 15:30

After their resounding defeat against Paris St Germain in a midweek Champions League match Bayern Munich have fired manager Carlo Ancelotti, with former Bayern player and current assistant manager Willy Sagnol taking over for the rest of the season. Bayern are only 3 points off first place and sit in third so the decision to sack Ancelotti seems slightly extreme, but we’ll have to see if they respond positively against 8th place Hertha Berlin at the weekend.

Prediction: Hertha Berlin 1 – 2 Bayern Munich. You can bet on Hertha Berlin v Bayern Munich here.

Real Madrid v Espanyol

Sunday, 20:45

With Real Madrid having started the La Liga season so indifferently they’re in desperate need of some wins, but their fortunes are looking up after they achieved an impressive win in the Champions League in midweek. Espanyol is is another Barcelona-based team, so that may add some extra incentive for them to try and take points off Real, but with Ronaldo hitting scoring form again and Asensio signing a new long-term deal everything is set up for Los Blancos to thrash some goals in.

Prediction: Real Madrid 4 – 1 Espanyol. You can bet on Real Madrid v Espanyol here.