The unique timing of the World Cup means that there is not much difference between the end of the tournament and the resumption of league football around the world.
Some leagues even started playing before the World Cup ended. The English League Championship resumed last week and the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup began on Tuesday.
With the Premier League the first of the five major European leagues to resume play on Monday, we got a refresher on where things stand in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain after we all watched a month of international soccer. was Here’s a brief refresher before club soccer returns.
All odds via BetMGM.
English Premier League
The league will resume on December 26
Premier League Table
1. Arsenal, 37 points
2. Manchester City, 32
3. Newcastle, 30
4. Tottenham, 29
5. Manchester United, 26
Odds of winning the league
Possibilities to take off
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Bournemouth (-175)
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Nottingham Forest (-175)
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Wolf (-110)
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Everton (+165)
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Southampton (+175)
What you need to know
League leaders Arsenal will be without star striker Gabriel Jesus for some time after suffering a right knee injury in Brazil’s match against Cameroon. Jesus had surgery earlier in the month. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will be well rested as Norway are not at the World Cup. Newcastle could be active in the January transfer market after their hot start as they chase Champions League soccer. Manchester United, meanwhile, is second only to Manchester City in the number of minutes played by its players at the World Cup. Both of those teams could rotate their squads heavily in the coming weeks.
French League 1
The league will resume on December 28
league table
1. PSG, 41 points
2. Lance, 36
3. Stade Rennais, 31
4. Marcel, 30
5. Lorient, 28
Odds of winning the league
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PSG (-10000)
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lens (+2500)
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Stade Renas (+3300)
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Marcel (+4000)
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Monaco (+10000)
Possibilities to take off
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Anger (-400)
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Auxerre (-250)
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AC Ajaccio (-135)
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Breast (+135)
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Montpellier (+160)
What you need to know
It looks like PSG will be without Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi for a game or two after their epic World Cup run. This will give Neymar the key to the attack. Only Mbappe (12) has scored more than Neymar’s 11 league goals in 14 matches. Lens have not lost a single home match so far this season in their bid to keep up with PSG and the two teams drew 1-1 earlier this season. Stade Renais have the second-best goal difference in the league behind PSG.
Spanish La Liga
The league will resume on December 30
league table
1. Barcelona, ​​37 points
2. Real Madrid, 35
3. Real Sociedad, 26
4. Athletic Club, 24
5. Atletico Madrid, 24
Odds of winning the league
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Barcelona (-190)
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Real Madrid (+150)
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Atletico Madrid (+10000)
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Athletic Bilbao (+15000)
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Real Sociedad (+15000)
Possibilities to take off
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Elche (-2000)
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Caddies (-200)
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Getafe (+165)
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Almeria (+200)
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Espanyol (+250)
What you need to know
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have lost just once in their first 14 matches. The only difference between the two is that Real Madrid has a two-to-one relationship with Barcelona. Karim Benzema should return for Real Madrid soon after missing the World Cup and manager Carlo Ancelotti said this week that he will remain at Real Madrid until his contract expires in June 2024 after being linked with the Brazil job. will remain Robert Lewandowski has scored 13 goals in 14 games for Barcelona while Ousmane Dembele looks to continue his strong form at the World Cup.
Italian Serie A
The league will resume on January 4
league table
1. Napoli, 41 points
2. AC Milan, 33
3. Juventus, 31
4. Lazio, 30
5. Inter Milan, 30
Odds of winning the league
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Napoli (-250)
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AC Milan (+550)
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Inter Milan (+650)
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Juventus (+650)
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Lazio (+2500)
Possibilities to take off
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Cremonese (-400)
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Hellas Verona (-250)
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Sampdoria (-250)
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Spezia Calcio (+150)
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Lacey (+200)
What you need to know
Napoli are eight points clear of second with 13 wins and two draws from 15 matches. Victor Osimhen has nine goals in 11 games while 21-year-old Georgian Khavicha Kvartskhelia has six goals and five assists in 12 games. Juventus have allowed a league-low seven goals in 15 games but are 10 points behind as they have conceded just 24 goals – 13 fewer than Napoli and the fewest of any team in the top five. AC Only 6 points separate Milan from seventh place Roma. With the top four teams making the Champions League, it could be an interesting 2023 even if Napoli run away with the title.
German Bundesliga
The league will resume on January 20
league table
1. Bayern Munich, 34 points
2. SC Freiburg, 30
3. RB Leipzig, 28
4. Eintracht Frankfurt, 27
5. Union Berlin, 27
Odds of winning the league
Possibilities to take off
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Schalke (-500)
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VfL Bochum (-165)
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Augsburg (+135)
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Hertha BSc (+250)
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VfB Stuttgart (+350)
What you need to know
As you can see, the oddsmakers are bullish on another Bayern Munich league title. If Bayern win again, it will do so without GK Manuel Neuer. He broke his leg while skiing after the World Cup and is out for the rest of the season. Bayern’s goal difference is +36. Freiburg has +8. Dortmund have the third best chance of winning the league despite sitting in seventh place and are five points off second. Dortmund could be tempted to sell Jude Bellingham in January following his strong World Cup performances or could try to fend off a strong offer during the summer transfer window.
