The 4 Doomed Sides Across Europe To Start Betting Against

When you look at the bottom of the league tables in Spain, Italy and France, several clubs are in big trouble. We look at what’s next for them.

Odds courtesy of Betway. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Real Valladolid - Heading for the Drop

Real Valladolid, who are owned by a Brazilian legend Ronaldo, have been favourites for the drop for some time now. They’ve picked up one point from the last 30 available, and that point came against the team directly above them. They sit bottom of La Liga, 11 points off safety, and are destined for the drop.

Their next game pits them against mid-table Getafe. Jose Bordalas’ side don’t have much to play for except personal pride, but some recent results suggest they are still fighting. They recently beat Atletico Madrid, and even away from home, they’re favourites in Valladolid.

Alvaro Rubio’s bottom-dwellers are showing no signs of fight as they face the reality of relegation to Segunda División. They can’t keep clean sheets, barely score, and another defeat is on the cards at Estadio José Zorrilla.

Monza - A Club on the Brink of Relegation

Similar to Valladolid in Spain, Italian outfit Monza appear to be out of luck. They’re rock bottom of Serie A and have a 10-point deficit on 17th-placed Lecce - it’s almost impossible to close. However, Alessandro Nesta’s side have picked up points at home against some teams around them, and their next opponent is hardly flourishing.

Como have done enough to beat the drop. Impressive wins over Udinese, Fiorentina and Napoli saw them create a big gap between themselves and the bottom three. However, they were unable to see off relegation battlers Venezia and Empoli in March, and Monza have home advantage.

Drawing with the likes of Lecce, Parma and possibly Como won’t keep I Brianzoli in the Italian top-flight. However, it would at least show their manager, an Azzurri legend, that there’s still some fight in them.

Lecce - A Chance to Halt the Slide

As January came to an end, and Lecce had just beaten Parma 3-1, there didn’t seem to be much doubt about I Salentini’s status. They were 13th, and even though the points gap between them and the relegation zone was small, they seemed to be doing enough.

However, after a run of five straight defeats, they’re on the brink of slipping into the bottom three. Marco Giampaolo’s men have scored just three goals in their last seven, and Patrick Dorgu’s move to Manchester United definitely didn’t help. This weekend, however, they have a big opportunity on their hands.

Lecce go up against Venezia, who haven’t won away since May, and a win could see them take a big step away from the drop zone. They’ll need to rekindle some of their home form from late 2024, but Nikola Krstović rediscovered his scoring form ahead of the international break. That could help a lot.

Montpellier - Former Ligue 1 Champions In Crisis

In the 2011/12 season, a surprising new force emerged in French football. Montpellier, spearheaded by Olivier Giroud and Younès Belhanda, snatched the title from PSG against all expectations. Although their success was short-lived, they stayed in the top-flight for the 12 seasons that followed. 

That will all change this summer, though, with Jean-Louis Gasset’s side in crisis. The Frenchman has won just three games since taking over in October, and there seems no way back for La Paillade. They’re 11 points off safety, with seven games to play, and they have lost seven on the bounce.

This weekend, however, they face a side with a defensive record almost as bad as their own. Le Havre are in better form, with three solid wins in February/March giving them a fighting chance, but they struggle to keep clean sheets. With 16 games since their last one, Montpellier could end their four-game goalless run - even if they still lose.