Corner Picks: El Clasico prediction; Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Liverpool vs. Manchester City best bets, odds

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Ever feel like you're living in a dream? That's how I feel every time I watch Napoli these days. I've been supporting Napoli for over a decade, and while I've seen plenty of good teams and exciting matches, I've never seen anything close to what I'm seeing from Napoli right now.

In a season that was supposed to be a rebuild, Napoli sit in first place in Serie A and have dominated a Champions League group featuring Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers, winnings their first four matches and outscoring them 17-4. They genuinely look like one of the best teams in the world.

There's a voice deep in the recesses of my brain that tells me this is too good to be true, and there's no way this Napoli team -- as young and inexperienced as it is on the big stage -- can maintain this throughout the entire season. But there's a much louder voice in the front of my brain yelling, "shut up! Who cares? This is awesome! Ride the wave while you can!"

And that's what I'm doing. Much like I'm hoping to ride the same wave that saw Corner Picks go 3-1 last week. All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

Date: Sunday, Oct. 16 | Time: 10:15 a.m. ET | Watch: ESPN+

I've seen a bit too much concern for Barcelona this week. As things stand, it looks near impossible for Barcelona to advance to the Champions League knockout stages. They will probably be relegated to the Europa League for the second straight season. This will be catastrophic for the club's finances, which were already a catastrophe. And you know what I say to that? Good. I have nothing against Barcelona. I love Lionel Messi and those Barcelona teams he led that dominated the world, but Barcelona have nobody to blame for this mess but Barcelona. They spent more money than they had, and when they needed to be wise, they made more stupid, short-sighted decisions thinking the best way to solve being broke is spending even more money.

That's the backdrop heading into El Clasico against a Real Madrid team that is in working order, won the Champions League and La Liga last year, and is now tied with Barcelona atop the table. Now, Barcelona's problems off the pitch haven't impacted it much on the pitch, but Barca have been bumslaying. They're bullying teams that aren't on their level and struggling against the teams they still believe they're on the same level as. They aren't. We'll be reminded of that once more Sunday in Madrid. The Pick: Real Madrid (+123)

Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Date: Sunday, Oct. 16 | Time: 11:30 a.m. ET | Watch: USA | Live stream fuboTV (try for free)

I don't often bet player props in soccer here, but this is the best value on the board for this match. I don't know what to make of Liverpool because they haven't been good, but when I watch them, I constantly think they've played better than the results. But they haven't shown me enough evidence to convince me that's the case, so I don't want to bet it against freaking Manchester City. A side that was already the best in the world added a giant baby-faced monster to their team that cannot be stopped with anything short of military force.

So why not bet on the monster? Erling Haaland has played 13 matches with City and scored 20 goals. That includes three hat tricks and three braces (two goals). In other words, Haaland has scored at least two goals in 30% of his matches with City. The Pick: Erling Haaland to Score 2 or more goals (+320)

Atalanta vs. Sassuolo

Date: Saturday, Oct. 15 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET | Watch: Paramount+

There was once a time, not too long ago, when Atalanta were the entertainers of Serie A. They played an attractive, attacking style under Gian Piero Gasperini that saw the team score a bunch of goals and allow more than their fair share too. It led to Atalanta climbing the table in Serie A and helped the club make a lot of money as they sold cheap, underrated players onto bigger clubs for much more than they paid after they performed well in Bergamo. Things have changed.

Atalanta sit second in Serie A entering the weekend, but they're not the fun team they used to be. Some might say they've become boring. As scoring in Serie A has dropped overall this season, Atalanta are the poster child. After seeing an average of 2.97 goals in Atalanta matches last season and 3.61 the season before, that number has plummeted to 2.11 this season. Atalanta do not have the attacking talent they once had and have adapted by playing more pragmatically, and it's hard to argue with the results. They've allowed only five goals through their first nine matches. I don't see much changing this weekend against a Sassuolo side that haven't been producing many bangers themselves. The Pick: Under 2.5 (+115)