Backing home sides who still have much at stake could prove worthwhile
It is the final weekend of the league season in England and Italy, with two rounds to play in Spain and Germany, and most of the major issues have been settled. All four champions have been crowned and most of the relegated teams are known, so punters will have to work hard again to find betting-friendly matches.
The facts and figures are that only two teams in the English Premier League, Aston Villa and Newcastle, have something to play for - the fifth place in the table that ensures qualification for next season's UEFA Cup. That leaves 18 teams with nothing at stake.
It is a similar story in Italy's Serie A, where 12 of the 18 teams have nothing to play for, and again the Jockey Club has included only five of the nine matches on its list. Near the top Inter, Parma and Lazio are scrapping over the final European qualification places - Lazio are guaranteed a UEFA Cup spot after their midweek Coppa Italia win over Juventus but can still take the final Champions League place by finishing fourth.
At the other end of the table, it is only a question of settling the final finishing order of Modena, Empoli and Perugia - two will be relegated automatically, while the other will go into a playoff with the sixth-placed team from Serie B.
In Germany, five teams (Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen, Bochum and Borussia Dortmund) are in the battle for European places, while seven teams (from Freiburg in 11th to second-bottom Eintracht Frankfurt) could still be relegated, though the odds are heavily against any late changes. Six of the 18 teams definitely have nothing to play for.