Scott Thornton’s European Props: Six Best Bets

Scott Thornton has a mix of player and team props bets for you to mull over ahead of this weekend’s action across Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga.

In Germany, our first bet comes in Holstein Kiel vs Monchengladbach before we turn our attention to RB Leipzig’s trip to face Eintracht Frankfurt. Then we have a bet on the Copa del Rey Final as Barcelona take on Real Madrid. Our other Spanish match is Villarreal vs Espanyol.

• Holstein Kiel vs Monchengladbach: Under 27.5 Shots In The Match
• Eintracht Frankfurt vs RB Leipzig: Over 1.5 Tackles & Over 0.5 Fouls For Nicolas Siewald
• Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Over 32.5 Throws In The Match
• Villarreal vs Espanyol: Over 24.5 Shots In The Match
• Inter vs Roma: Over 1.5 Tackles For Federico DiMarco
• Juventus vs Monza: Over 2.5 Tackles For Manuel Locatelli

Acca odds: 52.84

Holstein Kiel vs Monchengladbach: Struggling Attacks

Germany, Bundesliga, Saturday, 26th April, 14:30 (UK)

Holstein Kiel are rock bottom of the Bundesliga and need a remarkable turnaround to even salvage a place in the playoff. They are without a win in their last six, and the 2-1 defeat against St. Pauli in their last home match indicated just how poor they’ve been.

Monchengladbach are 9th and in with a chance of European qualification. They are just three points behind Mainz, who currently occupy the last guaranteed place. Gerardo Seoane’s men suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat at Dortmund last weekend and need to get back to winning ways here.

Holstein Kiel have had the fewest shots per game in the Bundesliga with an average of 10.83. This drops to 10.27 if we only include the data from their home matches. There have been 27 attempts or fewer in six of their seven league games at home in 2025, so unders looks a good bet here.

The visitors would have to make a healthy contribution to the overall shot tally for this bet to lose. They’ve struggled to get shots away in recent away games. Monchengladbach’s eight league games on the road have seen them average just 9.38 shots. With both sides’ numbers dwindling, unders looks a good bet here.

• Selection: Under 27.5 Shots In The Match (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.90
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Eintracht Frankfurt vs RB Leipzig: All-Action Midfielder Aiding Red Bull’s Charge

Germany, Bundesliga, Saturday, 26th April, 17:30 (UK)

This is a mammoth clash in the battle to finish in the Champions League. Eintracht Frankfurt are 3rd and have a three-point lead over 4th place, RB Leipzig. Four defeats in their last eight league matches mean Eintracht are in danger of throwing away the good work they did in the first half of the season.

RB Leipzig sacked Marco Rose and have shown some improvement since appointing Zsolt Low. The club are yet to taste defeat under the interim boss, but he will have been bitterly disappointed with the 1-1 draw against Holstein Kiel last weekend. This is their chance to make amends.

With this game being so important, we are banking on plenty of tackles. Eintracht Frankfurt have forced an average of 16.53 tackles per game this season, well above the Bundesliga average of 15.66.

Nicolas Seiwald is the man we’ve singled out to make tackles for Leipzig here. The midfielder has started their last six matches and made two tackles or more in five. He has made three tackles in five if we factor in bet365’s ‘sub on, play on’ rule. Siewald has also made at least one foul in all of those starts.

• Selection: Over 1.5 Tackles & Over 0.5 Fouls For Nicolas Siewald (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.86
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Another Clásico Final

Spain, Copa Del Rey, Saturday, 26th April, 21:00 (UK)

We have a mouthwatering El Clásico to look forward to as these great rivals square off in the final of the Copa del Rey. Barcelona are the favourites and chasing a treble. Hansi Flick’s side are four points ahead of Real Madrid in the title race. Winning this one would give them a big edge over Los Blancos heading into the final weeks of the season.

Carlo Ancelotti is widely expected to depart the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season. The Italian has enjoyed two successful stints in charge of Real, but their Champions League collapse and inability to catch Barcelona in the league have left many believing new blood is needed.

Barcelona’s league matches have seen an average of 35.97 throws, well above the line set by the bookmaker here. Their last 10 matches across all competitions have seen an average of 37.2 throws. Flick’s desire for his team to press high up the pitch, combined with Barcelona’s prowess in wide areas, means we should see some throws here.

Real Madrid matches see the fewest throws in La Liga with an average of 31 per game. However, they won’t enjoy as much possession as they are accustomed to here. Barcelona faced Los Blancos in the Super Cup final back in January, and there were 40 throws in that one.

• Selection: Over 32.5 Throws In The Match (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.72
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Villarreal vs Espanyol: The Yellow Submarine Have the Firepower

Spain, La Liga, Sunday, 27th April, 15:15 (UK)

La Liga has earned an additional Champions League place, and it’s music to the ears of Villarreal. They are currently 5th in the table, one point clear of Real Betis, who occupy 6th. The Yellow Submarine are on course to return to Europe’s elite club football competition. However, they need to finish the season strongly if they are to make that dream a reality.

Espanyol have picked up 10 points in their last four, which has moved them up to 13th in La Liga. There was a real threat of relegation for a while, but that has subsided. They are now seven points clear of the drop.

Villarreal’s matches have seen the second-most goals in the division, so as you’d expect, there have been plenty of shots. Their home matches have seen an average of 27.6. That drops to 26.12 if we only factor in the numbers from 2025, but that’s still above the bookmaker’s line for this game.

Manolo Gonzalez’s side are conceding plenty of shots in away matches with an average of 16.88 against them. Those games have seen an average of 24.81 overall, but the visitors could make a bigger contribution to the overall count against Villarreal. There were 45 attempts the last time they played at this ground.

• Selection: Over 24.5 Shots In The Match (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.83
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Inter vs Roma: The Nerazzurri Must Show Fight

Italy, Serie A, Sunday, 27th April, 14:00 (UK)

Inter suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Milan on Wednesday night to go out of the Coppa Italia. They are also at risk of losing top spot in Serie A this weekend. Simone Inzaghi’s side was beaten 1-0 away at Bologna in their last league outing, and they faced a stern test once again.

It’s been a chaotic season for Roma. They sacked Daniele De Rossi early in the season. His replacement, Ivan Juric, also fell by the wayside, but Claudio Ranieri has turned things around. The club have lost just one of their last 19 league games under the veteran coach. They could prove to be a match for Inter on Sunday.

Inzaghi’s team aren’t known for making a wealth of tackles. They have made the third fewest in Serie A with an average of 13.41. However, they may need to make a few against a very capable Roma side. Ranieri’s men are the third most-tackled team in the Italian top flight.

Federico DiMarco hasn’t been scared to get stuck in for Inter, so we are backing him to have at least two tackles here. He had two tackles against Milan midweek and also made two in his last Serie A start.

• Selection: Over 1.5 Tackles For Federico DiMarco (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.90
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Juventus vs Monza: Tackles Galore in Turin

Italy, Serie A, Sunday, 27th April, 17:00 (UK)

It’s been a difficult season for Juventus. Thiago Motta was supposed to bring about change and promote a more attacking brand of football. Things haven’t gone according to plan. Now, Igor Tudor is in charge until the end of the season, aiming to clinch Champions League qualification. The recent defeat against Parma has left them with work to do.

Monza are at the bottom of Serie A and 11 points from safety coming into the weekend. Their last win came against Fiorentina on January 13th. Since then, they have played 13 matches, losing 12.

Igor Tudor likes his teams to press high up the pitch, and this has led to some of the Juventus players making an increased number of tackles in his short tenure thus far. The Old Lady have had 40 tackles across their two home games under Tudor and will show willingness to get stuck in here.

Manuel Locatelli has been leading the tackles charge for Juve. His numbers were sporadic prior to Tudor’s arrival, but he has turned into a tackling machine. Locatelli has had four, five, three and four tackles since the managerial change.

• Selection: Over 2.5 Tackles For Manuel Locatelli (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 2.50
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

European Props Acca Tips Odds via bet365 as at 16:59, April 24th, 2025. Odds may now differ.

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