There is another stellar football schedule to enjoy on Friday before a busy weekend across Europe.
There is a Lancashire derby to enjoy in the Championship, with Blackburn hosting Preston, while there are also key matches to enjoy in Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
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Friday football tips
Bet of the day: Parma to beat Lecce @ 11/10
Both 16th-placed Parma and Lecce, who are just two spots below their hosts, are locked on 20 points in an extremely tight relegation battle in Serie A, making Friday’s clash a huge one.
Both sides lost to Milan clubs last weekend, but there was much more to like about Parma’s 3-2 defeat to AC Milan – they led until the 92nd minute before the Rossoneri’s immense attacking talent overpowered a tired defence – than Lecce’s 4-0 thrashing by Inter.
With Lecce racking up the third-lowest expected goals figure in Serie A this term (21.82), they do not have the same firepower as Milan, suggesting a repeat performance from Parma should be enough to secure three crucial points.
Special of the day: Werder Bremen vs Mainz – Draw, both teams to score & Marvin Ducksch anytime goalscorer – 21/2
The Bundesliga’s sole Friday offering sees two European hopefuls going head to head as sixth-placed Mainz head to Werder Bremen, who find themselves ninth and four points behind their visitors.
Mainz are the form side, having won seven of their last 10 matches, but they may have to settle for a point against Bremen, who looked much-improved when drawing 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund last time.
Goals look sure to be a feature of this clash, with four of Werder’s last five matches and three of the visitors’ last five away games seeing both teams score, and taking both teams to score in Bremen looks a worthwhile second leg.
It could pay to round out a bet builder by backing Bremen hotshot Marvin Ducksch to grab one of those goals as the German forward has scored three goals in his last six games and also netted in the reverse fixture.
Long shot of the day: Preston to win to nil v Blackburn @ 5/1
Fireworks should be expected in this Lancashire derby after the reverse fixture was marred with controversy. A whopping 11 cards were dished out that day, with Milan Osmaijic’s bite on Owen Beck grabbing all of the post-match headlines.
While tempers may flare once again on Friday, that may not be the only similarity to the reverse fixture, which finished 0-0, as goals likely to be at a premium again.
Blackburn have lost three successive games and, having been defeated to nil by Coventry in their last home match, it could pay to back their rivals to also secure a win with a clean sheet at Ewood Park.
Preston are on a five-match unbeaten run, beating Middlesbrough and Watford in their last two outings, and are fancied to edge this derby.
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