Euro Soccer Best Bets: Plays From Around The Globe For August 6 and August 7

Just like that, we’re back for Prospector Sam's first installment of nonsense games he's choosing to bet on! So, we'll stop wasting time and give you what you want. Keep reading for an unfiltered version of your favorite handicapper's favorite handicapper:

While I know the Premier League is the real “milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard” in the world of soccer, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have more fun writing these articles. The Premier League was my gateway to the drug that is top-tier soccer, and no team holds a more important (and painful) place in my heart than Tottenham, but the wide world of European leagues is a spoil of riches and provides a gold mine of content (see what I did there).

Not only do I have a dozen other leagues to pick my favorite spots, like a fat kid trying to decide which ice cream flavors to put in his sundae, but I get to expose people to teams they never dreamed they would be gambling on, and that brings a bit of joy to my cartoon heart.

So, with a new season and nine months of gambling, it’s time to dive back into your weekly geography lesson/excuse to get up at 7:00 am ET and watch Belgian soccer on bootleg channels while your friends worry for your mental health! Sounds like the dream if you ask me. 

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Strasbourg vs. Monaco Best Bet

Kickoff: 11:00 am ET on Saturday, August 6
Play: Both Teams To Score (-145) - 2 units ✅

Teams you may have actually heard of! Well, Monaco is at least. Strasbourg is probably a stretch, but anyone who’s been a Gold Digger for long enough knows the name because it’s a team I’ve bet on a handful of times. And, rather than burying the lede here, I’ll just come out with a cozy bet that I think has a good balance of value and safety.

Both teams to score sits at -145, and I think that’s a fairly comfortable assumption to make for the match-up. Monaco are a slightly better side, having qualified for the UCL last season, but squad turnover, a mid-week match, and being away on Saturday all push the pendulum back towards our friends in Strasbourg. And, while they may have finished the last campaign poorly, this team can score goals (60 in 38 league matches last season).

It’s hard to find a great angle on which team (if either) comes out with the points in this game, but I think the evenness of the match-up should give both opportunities to score, and each side has the talent to finish at least one chance. Bet this one fairly heavy to get a solid payout.

Stuttgart vs. Leipzig Best Bet

Kickoff: 9:30 am ET on Sunday, August 7
Play: Leipzig Team Total Over 1.5 (-130) - 2.5 units

I like this spot so much that it actually scares me (admittedly, I do scare easily. I refuse to watch horror movies). Even with all the inconsistency and rust you get as teams kick off their season, I just can’t help but be absolutely in love with the number we’re getting on Leipzig, which sits at -130 for Over 1.5 team goals. Stuttgart barely survived the drop last season, and I mean barely. They averaged less than a point on the season with a -18 goal differential, which does not make for a good match-up against a Leipzig side that finished in the Top 4.

As for the walking energy drink sponsors, they started their last campaign rough but then fired their coach and turned the ship all the way around. Leipzig ended the season with a fourth-place finish and 72 goals scored (over 2.0 goals per game), and they’ve managed to hang on to one of the more exciting talents across Europe in Christopher Nkunku. So, to be honest, I’m struggling to see how they don’t beat the stuffing out of an outclassed Stuttgart side.

History backs us as well, with the visitors having scored multiple goals in five of their last six meetings. It’s an aggressive line to take so early in the season, and I’m normally reluctant to stake a big number on a single game, but everything from the stats to my eyes tells me this is the play. I’m willing to trust it.

Gent vs. Westerlo Best Bet

Kickoff: 10:00 am ET on Sunday, August 7
Play: Gent Team Total Over 1.5 (-155) - 1.5 units / Gent Team Total Over 2.5 (+195) - 0.75 units

HERE. WE. GO. Back to our old stomping grounds in Belgium, and a place where very few people bother to spend their time watching or gambling. Sure, that may make you a bit queasy, but it also means that there won't be as many sharps laying money and the books won’t be as good at setting the lines. So, while you may have never heard of a “Westerlo” before, be confident that we can still find a spot of value on this game. And, in line with that last sentence, we’re going to fade the heck out of a newly promoted side on the road and bet on goals for Gent.

Gent are traditionally an above-average club in the Jupiler League, though they’ve struggled a bit with a couple of pesky sides to start the season. But, despite only having two points in two games, they’ve managed three goals and have the offense to put up tallies in bunches. Enter: Westerlo, a side who picked up three points and a shutout in their first match thanks to a red card by Cercle, but then got stomped by a weak Leuven team in Week 2. Gent is the best club they’ve faced so far, and the learning curve is about to get steep for the visitors.

To try to squeeze as much juice out of this orange as we can, I’m going with the team total Over 1.5 and 2.5 to balance risk and reward with a chance at a double dip. Over 1.5 should be comfortable for Gent, and the -155 odds reflect that, so we’ll be putting up a heftier bet there, while +195 on Over 2.5 is attainable enough to make the gamble worth our money. Gent should find goals between their superior talent and aggressive tactics, and I believe they could put up a big number.