European Soccer Weekly Review – Premier League Goals Galore

The weekend’s European soccer action served up tons of Premier League goals, loads of crazy Bundesliga scorelines and plenty of drama in La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1. 

With the major European soccer leagues back in full swing, it’s time to analyze the stats and search for emerging betting trends. After all, the more information we have, the more likely we are to land our soccer bets. 

Let’s start by exploring why we’ve seen so many Premier League goals this season and work our way through the other major European leagues. 

Premier League Goals Continue to Fly In 

Just like Matchday 1, Premier League goals flew in last weekend. The first round of the 2023-24 EPL season dished up 28 goals (2.8 goals per game), while the second round produced 27 goals (3 goals per game).

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS (MATCHDAY 2) 

Liverpool defeated Bournemouth 3-1 at Anfield, while Brighton & Hove Albion thrashed Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1. There were also high-scoring victories for Brentford, Aston Villa and West Ham United, with Arsenal edging Crystal Palace in the final fixture of Matchday 2. 

Premier League Betting Trends  – Premier League Goals

Brighton, Manchester City and Arsenal are the only teams with a 100% record in the EPL. By contrast, Everton, Wolves, Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United have all failed to pick up a point ahead of Matchday 3. 

It is also worth noting that Brighton has scored eight Premier League goals in two outings, meaning the Seagulls average four goals per game this season. Solly March bagged a brace in the thrashing of Wolves, while Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan have both notched one goal and two assists so far. 

In terms of defensive betting trends, Man City is the only team to have conceded zero Premier League goals this season. Having achieved back-to-back clean sheets, Pep Guardiola’s men look set for another successful campaign. 

Real Madrid Takes Control of La Liga 

While there were lots of Premier League goals over in England last weekend, Spain’s La Liga was noticeably tamer. In fact, only three of the 10 La Liga matches during Matchday 2 produced over 2.5 goals. 

LA LIGA RESULTS (MATCHDAY 2) 

Villarreal, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Girona, Barcelona, Real Betis, Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano all kept clean sheets last weekend. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Deportivo Alaves came out on the right side of a seven-goal thriller against Sevilla. 

La Liga Betting Trends 

Jude Bellingham has helped Real Madrid maintain a 100% record this season. The Englishman was still a teenager until a couple of months ago, but he has already notched three goals and one assist in two La Liga matches for Los Blancos. 

Rayo Vallecano and Valencia are the only other teams with two wins in the bank, while Granada, Almeria and Sevilla have all failed to open their accounts in 2023-24. 

It is also worth pointing out that Getafe has not scored a single goal this season. Following a goalless draw with Barcelona on the opening weekend, Getafe suffered a 3-0 defeat against Girona last time out. 

Harry Kane Stars for Bayern Munich on Bundesliga Debut 

Not only did we see loads of Premier League goals last weekend, but we also saw tons of action in the Bundesliga. European soccer action is heating up early. As the Matchday 1 results suggest, the German top flight looks set to serve up plenty of drama this season. 

BUNDESLIGA RESULTS (MATCHDAY 1) 

Bayern Munich kicked off the new campaign with a customary 4-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen, with new striker Harry Kane scoring and assisting on debut. Borussia Dortmund left it very last to eventually overcome FC Koln, while Bayer Leverkusen edged RB Leipzig in a five-goal thriller. 

Bundesliga Betting Trends 

The 4-4 draw between Augsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach suggests that both teams will be exciting to watch this year. Although they look strong offensively, they are both likely to struggle defensively in 2023-24. 

After scoring 45 goals in 34 Bundesliga outings last season (1.4 goals per game), Stuttgart put five past Bochum on the opening weekend. Union Berlin also enjoyed plenty of success on Matchday 1, scoring four goals against Mainz, with Kevin Behrens netting a hat-trick. 

Napoli, Juventus, Milan and Inter Triumph in Serie A 

While the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga produced plenty of shock results and upsets, Italy’s Serie A didn’t spring many surprises during Matchday 1. In fact, all the top teams claimed three points on the opening weekend. 

SERIE A RESULTS (MATCHDAY 1) 

Napoli kick-started their title defense with an easy 3-1 victory over newly-promoted Frosinone. Elsewhere, Fiorentina crushed Genoa 4-1. There are also routine wins for Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atalanta. 

Serie A Betting Trends 

Of course, it is difficult to pick up on betting trends after just one round of Serie A action, but there are still lots of interesting stats and numbers to take from Matchday 1 over in Italy. 

Fiorentina racked up 69% possession and nine shots en route to thrashing Genoa, with four different players scoring for La Viola. Funnily enough, Juventus also had three different goalscorers in their shutout win over Udinese. 

Victor Osimhen netted 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances last season (0.8 goals per game) before scoring twice on the opening weekend. With that in mind, the lethal striker looks set to enjoy another prolific campaign. 

Paris Saint-Germain Drops Points Again in Ligue 1 

Okay, Ligue 1 is not going to plan this season. With two games in the books, Paris Saint-Germain find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the standings, despite winning nine of the previous 11 top-flight titles in France. 

LIGUE 1 RESULTS (MATCHDAY 2) 

Following a goalless draw with Lorient on the opening weekend, PSG was held to a 1-1 draw by Toulouse last time out. Montpellier secured a shock 4-1 victory over Lyon, and Monaco extended their winning start to the season with a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Strasbourg. 

Ligue 1 Betting Trends – Not Similar to Premier League Goals

Only four of the nine Ligue 1 clashes during Matchday 2 produced over 2.5 goals. However, both teams scored on six occasions. It is also worth noting that seven teams scored over 1.5 goals in the second round of fixtures. 

Monaco and Brest are the only sides to have won each of their first two games, while Clermont Foot, Lyon and Nantes find themselves in the relegation zone after failing to take a single point from the opening two rounds. 

Monaco leads the scoring charts with seven goals, while Rennes and Montpellier have both found the back of the net six times this season. Since every team has scored at least one goal in Ligue 1, there are no perfect defensive records remaining. 

Here’s to More Premier League Goals! 

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see more Premier League goals this weekend. The English top flight has already dished up loads of goals this season, making the over/under and handicap markets look very attractive from a betting perspective. 

Chelsea takes on newly-promoted Luton Town on Friday, with Man City traveling to Sheffield United. In the final EPL match of the weekend, Newcastle United hosts Liverpool in what promises to be an exciting attacking battle. 

Elsewhere, Real Madrid and Celta Vigo face off in La Liga, while Barcelona visits Villarreal. The Bundesliga sees Bayern Munich take on Augsburg, and PSG will aim to stop the rot against Lens in Ligue 1. 

Fans of North American soccer will also be pleased to learn that MLS is back after the Leagues Cup break. Stick with Sports Hub for more soccer betting opportunities, as we cover everything from the major European leagues to MLS and beyond.