SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Bayern to continue their recovery Mainz v Bayern Munich Saturday 27 October, 14:30 Live on Betfair Live Video Although Bayern are still four points adrift of Borussia Dortmund in the title race, and therefore aren't quite out of crisis mode yet, there are signs that under-fire coach  Niko Kovac  is turning the ship around. A 3-1 win at Wolfsburg last Saturday was followed by a vital 2-0 victory at AEK Athens in the Champions League. Neither victory was particularly sparkling, but the background noise has at least died down a little, and a win at Mainz would underline the impression that Bayern are heading in the right direction once again. Mainz are perhaps the perfect opponents for Bayern at the moment. The  Opta  stats show that Bayern have beaten Die Nullfunfer in 10 of the last 12 attempts, and last season they beat them 4-0 and 2-0. After a promising start to the campaign, a young Mainz team has really started to struggle. They  haven't scored ...

Toronto's last laugh Toronto FC v Atlanta United Sunday, 20:30 So it's  Decision Day in MLS , although for the third season in succession, there's not a great deal to decide. There'll be jockeying for play-off position, two play-off places up for grabs, and also  a Supporters Shield to be won . With the New York Red Bulls very likely to beat Orlando in New Jersey, Atlanta United know that they have to go to Toronto and get a victory to be sure of winning the Supporters Shield and establishing themselves as  the new points record holders for a single MLS season . Atlanta, though, have been fading in recent weeks, at just the wrong point of the season, and I think that they're vulnerable as the  defending MLS Cup champions  say goodbye to a terrible 2018 season. Toronto will be fired up for this, to prove that they can be relevant one final time, and with Atlanta stuttering against a poor Chicago side last week, and prone to nerves, I think that Gerar...

Barcelona v Real Madrid Sunday, 15:15 Live on Eleven Sports 1 and Betfair Live Video How will Barça cope without Messi? No Lionel Messi, no problem: that was the message sent by Barcelona in midweek. With their talisman watching from the stands, arm in a sling, the Blaugrana found a way past Internazionale to maintain their 100% start in the Champions League. And while it was hardly a performance for the ages, there was enough there - from Arthur, from Rafinha - to suggest that  there is life beyond You Know Who . Now, though, comes the real acid test: a Clásico without Messi. There is good reason for Barça to be wary about the prospect: the Argentine has only missed two games against Real Madrid since his first taste of this fixture, and Barcelona haven't won either (D1 L1), while their form this term - prior to the Inter game at least - has been tightly bound with his presence on the field. Even when Messi is left on the bench, his team-mates know he can come on and sa...

Chelsea take their unbeaten record to Burnley. Opta presents the vital statistics. Burnley are yet to beat Chelsea at Turf Moor in a Premier League match (P4 W0 D1 L3) - their last home league win over the Blues was in April 1983 in the second tier.  Chelsea are   1.38 to win. Chelsea have lost just one of their eight Premier League games against Burnley (W5 D2).  The draw is   5.20 . Burnley have won just two points from their last 12 home Premier League games against the 'big six', drawing two and losing 10 since a 2-0 win over Liverpool in August 2016.  Chelsea are   2.00  to win half-time/full-time. Chelsea are unbeaten after the first nine games of a top-flight season for just the fifth time in their history alongside 1964-65 (3rd), 1966-67 (9th), 2005-06 (1st) and 2014-15 (1st).  The draw half-time/Chelsea full-time double result is   4.30 . Burnley have won seven points from their last four games (W2 D1 L1), one more than t...

Manchester United take on an Everton side that are a point ahead of them. Opta tries to prise them apart. Manchester United have won 19 home Premier League games against Everton - only against Spurs have they won more (21).  They are   1.77  to win. Everton are winless in seven matches against Manchester United in all competitions (W0 D2 L5) since a 3-0 home win in the Premier League in April 2015.  The draw is   3.95 . Manchester United have scored more goals (98) and won more games (35) against Everton in the Premier League than against any other opponent.  They are   2.80  to win half-time/full-time. Five of Manchester United's last seven Premier League goals against Everton have been scored in the last 10 minutes of matches.  The draw half-time/Manchester United full-time double result is   4.80 . Manchester United currently have a goal difference of -1 in the Premier League this season; the first time that they have had ...