European Football’s 2016/2017 Top Five, Teams, Goal scorers, Assist Merchants And Bad Boys…

Top 5 performers in Europe’s top 5 football leagues (2016/2017) the story so far…,
We have put together a list of Europe’s top 5 leagues top 5 performers, our focus is on a few highlights of the game, mainly goals, assist and discipline for individuals and for teams it’s got to do with their positions on the Log, comments are welcome and hope you find this useful.

Please note that this is based on results as at the 24th of December 2016 and the Leagues are arranged in no particular other…

Serie A Table
R Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts

1 Juventus 17 14 0 3 36 14 +22 42

2 Roma 18 12 2 4 39 18 +21 38

3 Napoli 18 10 5 3 40 21 +19 35

4 Lazio 18 10 4 4 32 21 +11 34

5 AC Milan 17 10 3 4 27 20 +7 33

Mauro Icardi
photo credit: Tigerzen
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Top Scorers

R Player Team Goals

1 M. Icardi Inter 14

2 E. Dzeko Roma 13
A. Belotti Torino 13

4 D.Mertens Napoli 11
5 G. Higuain Juventus 10

Assists

Player Team Assists

J. Callejon Napoli 7

F. Anderson Lazio 7

M. Hamsik Napoli 7

Suso AC Milan 6

M. Icardi Inter 5

Disciplinary (bad boys)

Player Team Yellow card Red card

D. Gastaldello Bologna 6 2

M. Veloso Genoa 7 1

N. Tomovic Fiorentina 8 0

G. Paletta AC Milan 2 2

J. Kucka AC Milan 5 1

Spanish Primera Division Table

R Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts

1. Real Madrid 15 11 4 0 40 14 +26 37

2 Barcelona 16 10 4 2 41 16 +25 34

3 Sevilla 16 10 3 3 32 21 +11 33

4 Villarreal 16 8 5 3 25 11 +14 29

5 Real Sociedad 16 9 2 5 28 21 +7 29

Lionel Messi
photo credit: Marc Puig i Perez
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Top Scorers

R Player Team Goals

1 L. Messi Barcelona 12
L. Suarez Barcelona 12

2 C. Ronaldo Real Madrid 10
I. Aspas Celta Vigo 10

3 W. Jose Real Sociedad 9

Assists

Player Team Assists

T. Kroos Real Madrid 7

P. Piatti Espanyol 7

Neymar Barcelona 6

D. Parejo Valencia 5

M. Gomez Sporting Gijon 4

Disciplinary (bad boys)

Player Team Yellow card Red card

F. Amorebieta Sporting Gijon 10 0

H. Mallo Celta Vigo 6 1

E. Perez Valencia 5 1

T. Hernandez Alaves 5 1

M. Livaja Las Palmas 8 0

German Bundesliga Table

R Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts

1 Bayern Munich 16 12 3 1 38 9 +29 39

2 RB Leipzig 16 11 3 2 31 15 +16 36

3 Hertha Berlin 16 9 3 4 24 16 +8 30

4 E. Frankfurt 16 8 5 3 22 12 +10 29

5 Hoffenheim 16 6 10 0 28 17 +11 28

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund and Dante of Munich compete for the ball photo credit ar.fifa.com

Top Scorers

R Player Team Goals

1 P.E. Aubameyang B.Dortmund 16

2 A. Modeste Cologne 13

3 R. Lewandoski Bayern Munich 12

4 T. Werner Leipzig 9
S. Wagner Hoffenheim 9

Assists

Player Team Assists

E. Forsberg Leipzig 8

O. Dembele B. Dortmund 7

J. Brandt Bayer Leverkusen 6
Y. Malli Mainz 6

F. Ribery Bayern Munich 5

Disciplinary (bad boys)

Player Team Yellow card Red card

J. Cordoba Mainz 5 1

O. Mascarell E. Frankfurt 8 0

J. Bruma Wolfsburg 4 1

M. Arnold Wolfsburg 6 0

N. Hofler Frieburg 6 0

Ligue 1 Table

R Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts

1 Nice 19 13 5 1 34 13 +21 44

2 Monaco 19 13 3 3 56 20 +36 42

3 PSG 19 12 3 4 38 15 +23 39

4 Lyon 18 11 1 6 34 19 +15 34

5 Guingamp 19 8 6 5 25 19 +6 30

Edinson Cavani
photo credit: Liondartois
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Top Scorers

R Player Team Goals

1 E. Cavani PSG 18

2 A. Lacazette Lyon 13

3 R. Falcao Monaco 11

4 A. Plea Nice 10
B. Gomis Marseille 10

Assists

Player Team Assists

J.M Seri Nice 8

M. Sanson Montpellier 7

P. Ntep Rennes 5
K. Mbappe-Lottin Monaco 5
F. Marcal Guingamp 5

Disciplinary (bad boys)

Player Team Yellow card Red card

R. Cohade Metz 9 0

M. Ballotelli Nice 3 2

O. Vizcarrondo Nantes 8 0
S. Yago Toulouse 8 0

M. Diallo Guingamp 5 1

Stamford Bridge
photo credit: Lachlan Fearnley
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Premier League Table

R Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts

1 Chelsea 17 14 1 2 35 11 +24 43

2 Liverpool 17 11 4 2 41 20 +21 37

3 Manchester City 17 11 3 3 36 20 +16 36

4 Arsenal 17 10 4 3 38 19 +19 34

5 Tottenham 17 9 6 2 29 12 +17 33

Diego Costa, Chelsea. photo credit actuasport.fr

Top Scorers

R Player Team Goals

1 D. Costa Chelsea 13

2 A. Sanchez Arsenal 12

3 Z. Ibrahimovic PSG 11

4 S. Aguero Man City 10

5 R. Lukaku Everton 9

Assists

Player Team Assists

K.D Bruyne Man City 9

W. Zaha Crystal Palace 6
N. Matic Chelsea 6
A. Sanchez Arsenal 6
A. Lallana Liverpool 6

Disciplinary (bad boys)

Player Team Yellow card Red card

W.Reid West Ham 5 1
M. Arnautovic Stoke 5 1

S. Pienaar Sunderland 4 1
H.Arter Bournemouth 4 1
M. Britos Watford 4 1

Edinson Cavani
photo credit: Liondartois
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Top Goal Scorers in Europe

R Player Team Goals

1 E. Cavani PSG 18

2 P.E Aubameyang B.Dortmund 16

3 M. Icardi Inter Milan 14

4 D. Costa Chelsea 13
E. Dzeko Roma 13

Most Assist in Europe

R Player Team Assists

1 K.D Bruyne Man City 9

2 J.M Seri Nice 8
E. Forsberg Leipzig 8

3 T. Kroos Real Madrid 7
J. Callejon Napoli 7

Newfanzone Bookies Corner (Game Week 35)

A league champion could be crowned in Italy if all goes according to script for the Old lady of Turin, while in England Leicester city must overcome the test of faith if their fairytale run to lifting the league title will come to pass. It’s never been more close at the top in La liga after the race was blown wide open to a three horse race after leaders Barcelona lost an 8 point lead at the summit. The Bundesliga has been a two horse race all season with Bavarians leading that race from the first blast of the whistle this season.
As the Curtain comes down gradually on the top 5 leagues in Europe, our punters at Newfanzone have continued our 10-game accumulator series which helps you to select the best possible outcomes for your bets this weekend.

Tobi Olubiyi’s (@tobipreety) predictions;

English Premier League

Tottenham Vs West brom- Tottenham win:

Pochettino’s Tottenham have finally achieved their potential, the young squad has a Champions league place in their sights and could still nick the League title from league leaders Leicester. Consistency has been the main reason behind their success this season. They have aimed to pick maximum points in most matches this season especially at the White Hart Lane where they have only been defeated twice in the league this season.
Tony Pulis led West Brom are having their worst run of the season winning just 1 of their last 7 league matches.
Tottenham are the highest scorers in the league with 64 league goals. While Star striker Harry Kane has scored 24 goals this season and would be a thorn in the flesh for the visitors.

I believe the home side to get a victory in front of their home fans as the woes of their 15th placed visitors will continue.

Adam Lallana
photo credit: John Jones
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Liverpool vs Newcastle- Liverpool win or draw:

Rafa Benitez has finally gotten his first win since his appointment at Newcastle for the rescue mission, he is unbeaten in his last 2 matches and looks ready to turn their season around. They currently sit 19th on the log with just 2 points from safety, their poor defensive record has contributed to their shameful run this season. They have the second worst defense in the league with 62 goals conceded after already relegated Aston villa who have conceded 65 goals in 34 matches. The Reds will be heading into this game with a lot confidence after losing just 1 of their last 11 matches in all competitions. Liverpool will be playing in front of their home fans at Anfield where they have won 9 of their last 10 matches against Newcastle in all competitions. The magpies are also not good travellers as they have lost their last 9 away matches in the premier league.
This would be a tricky game for Klopp and his boys considering the form of Newcastle and also the fact that Benitez will be facing his former employers.

I don’t expect Liverpool to loose this game so I will give them a double chance to either win or draw.

Italian Serie A

Inter Milan Vs Udinese- Inter Milan win:

The Nerrazurri will be hosting 14th placed Udinese who they have only lost to in one of their last 4 matches in all competitions . with 61 points this season, Mancini has done a considerably good job at Inter this season after the former Italian football juggernauts had dismal performances in the last few years. 4th placed Inter are unbeaten in 5 of their last 7 matches heading into this fixture. This season they have been decent at the San Siro winning 5 of their last 6 matches there. The visitors have failed to live up to their known pedigree this season and they are currently languishing in14th position with just 8 points above relegation place.
This is the type of fixture you would normally expect Inter to sail through considering their current form and home support, their opponents are in a poor run of form winning just 2 of their last 7 matches in all competitions.

I see Inter Milan getting the victory at the Estadio Giuseppe Meazza as the 3 points will take them closer to Roma who occupy the final Champions league spot and have a difficult tie against 2nd placed Napoli.

Roma vs Napoli- Both teams to score:

This is a battle between 2nd placed Napoli and 3rd placed Roma.
Roma have showed a lot of character in the way they play since the appointment of Luciano Spaletti which has turned their season around. Their last game against Torino especially where they came back to win after going two goals down was just a pure indication of what their season has been like. 5 points behind their opponents, the boys from the capital will fancy their chances of reducing the gap and even sneak past them into second place before the season ends. Napoli still have an outside chance of stealing the league title from Juventus if an unlikely slip up happens in the last few games remaining in the season, with just 4 games to go there is a 9 point gap between them. If Napoli fail to win at the Stadio Olimpico they can as well wave the Scudetto goodbye and take solace in a champions league place.
These two teams are far from goal shy this season, they have a massive 145 league goals between them already with Roma scoring 73 of those which is also the highest in the league and closely followed by Napoli on 72 goals.
This is a fixture that normally produces goals, there has been 12 goals scored between both teams in their last 6 matches against each other. Also it is worth noting that there has only been one goaless result between both teams in their last 6 matches.

It is a difficult game to call as both teams would want to go for the jugular, there is a lot at stake and I see both teams getting on the score sheet.

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Dani Alves vs Cristiano Ronaldo
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Spanish Premiera Liga

Atletico Madrid vs Malaga- Atletico Madrid win and Clean sheet:

Diego Simeone is conducting his Atletico orchestra perfectly, 4 matches to go and level on points with league leaders and defending champions Barcelona. This Madrid team are the perfect working machines, tactically efficient in matches and absolutely resilient. They have the best defense in Europe’s top 5 leagues conceding a mere 16 goals in 34 league matches. This is a phenomenal record in a league that has seen Real Madrid score 101 goals in the same period and Rayo Vallecano have shipped in 66 goals. Going into any game, the hosts are undoubtedly favorites especially at the Vincente Calderon. This is a tough ask for this poor Malaga side who have not won in their last 4 league matches and currently sit 9th on the log. There is confidence for the home side as their eyes are set on the league trophy, something they lifted 2 years ago. And it is difficult to see them slowing down now after winning 4 matches on the bounce and also dumping Spanish contemporaries Barcelona out of the champions league. They have also kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 8 matches at home in all competitions .

I expect Atletico Madrid with the form of French attacker, Antoine Greizmann to get a win at home and also a clean sheet.

Eibar Vs Deportivo- Eibar win or draw :

Eibar are hosting 14th placed Deportivo at the Estadio Municipal, the away side are bereft of confidence after shipping in a whopping 8 goals in front of their home fans last matchday against Barcelona. If Eibar are to continue their push for a top half finish the need to get a result in this tie. The home team have only won one of their last 6 matches while Deportivo have not won in 17 of their last 18 matches in all competitions.

I give Eibar a double chance in this game, they will either win or draw.

French Ligue 1

Toulouse Vs Lyon- Lyon win:

Lyon have had an amazing run since their poor and slow start to the campaign. Lyon are undefeated in their last 7 matches and this superb form has seen them catch 2nd placed Monaco who are now 2 points ahead of them. Strugglers Toulouse are 19th on the log and desperately trying to keep their heads above the relegation waters. Though they are currently on a resurgent run after being undefeated in 3 matches and are just 3 points from safety.
If any team is good enough to get maximum points from the stadium municipal where Toulouse has won their last 3 matches, it will be Lyon.

I believe Lyon can do enough to pick maximum points against Toulouse.

Lille Vs Angers- Lille Win:

With just 3 points separating these two teams with Lille in 6th position while their opponents Angers are not too far behind in 8th. Lille have won their last 6 matches in all competitions and are obviously one of the most inform teams in the league. The home team has been absent from the continent in the last few years and with just 6 points behind 2nd placed Monaco i’m sure the players would be thinking why not. It’s actually no surprise that this resolute Lille side have the 2nd best defense in the league giving away as little as 27 goals in 34 matches.

I expect Lille to tighten their grip on their ambition to qualify for the continent with a win this weekend.

German Bundesliga

Hertha Berlin Vs Bayern Munich- first half draw:

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola is on the verge of winning his 3rd successive Bundesliga title as the season gets close to an end. In previous seasons this fixture would have been a stroll in the park for the Bavarians due to the impressive record of 9 wins against Hertha Berlin in all competitions. The home side have surprised the Bundesliga fans with their performance all season which has seen them pursue a champions league position. They currently sit 4th on the long occupying the final play off spot for Champions league qualification, a feat most would have written them off for when the season kicked off.
A visit from the ever impressive German power-house, led by a tactically astute Guardiola is a tough ask for Hertha and I sincerely don’t think they have what it takes to get a result.
I believe the home side will try to hold their visitors off in the first half when their energy and concentration levels are high. Although as the game enters it’s conclusive stage the tenacity and the killer instinct of their visitors might just be the difference.

I see the first half ending in a draw with the home team sitting back and defending deep.

Wolfsburg Vs Augsburg- Wolfsburg win:

8th placed Wolfsburg will be hosting 14th placed Augsburg at the Volkswagen arena. Their visitors are just 3 points above safety and with just 4 games to go in the Bundseliga their fate isn’t decided yet. Wolfsburg have won only 1 of their last 7 matches in all competitions, a relatively poor form they will need to immediately turn around if they want to play continental football next season. They are currently 6 points adrift 6th placed Mainz, and it is very possible they nick it with 4 games still to play. If they are to turn their woes around at this point of the season then I would imagine it to be in such a tie against Augsburg in front of their home fans where they have been undefeated in 35 of their last 37 matches in the league.

I expect the home side to do enough for all three points as they have only previously lost once to Augsburg in their last 6 meetings.