It’s probably the biggest game of the 2013 NFL regular season in the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints are set to face off on "Monday Night Football" at CenturyLink Field in Seattle in perhaps a preview of the NFC Championship game.

The Seahawks enter Week 13 with the best record in football (10-1) and a three-game lead in the NFC West. The Saints are just one game back (9-2) for the No.1 seed, though they don’t have as much of a secure lead in their division, as they sit just one game ahead of the Carolina Panthers.

A win for either team would put them in the driver’s seat to have the top spot in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The ability to play every postseason game in front of their home fans would go a long way in getting the winning team to the Super Bowl. There are no teams better at home than the Seahawks or Saints. The last time the Seahawks dropped a home game was in 2011. The Saints are not only unbeaten at home in 2013, but they’ve never lost against the point spread.

Fortunately for the Seahawks, they’ll be home on Monday night. The betting line as them listed as 4.5-point favorites. Three of their home wins have come by at least 21 points. They had a near slip up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week Nine, but made a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter and won in overtime.

For as dominant as the Saints have been this season, they haven’t been nearly as good on the road. They’re 3-2 away from New Orleans, with none of their victories coming by more than one score. On the road, the Saints have covered just one point spread.

Despite the location of the contest, New Orleans might be facing Seattle at the most ideal time. The Seahawks’ vaunted pass defense is somewhat depleted, as two key members of their secondary will be out. A groin injury will sideline starting cornerback Brandon Browner, while and Walter Thurmond is set to miss four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

"We're still trying to work through it. I'll say it again, I've always found myself looking for guys that maybe other people don't see something special in and we take a chance on a guy here or there that needs some extra consideration and care," head coach Pete Carroll said. "And sometimes guys they have issues and things pop up but I've always been kind of hopeful and make guys find the best in them and bring it out. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't."

With a healthy defense, the Seahawks match up well with the Saints. They are second in the league, allowing 180.4 yards through the air per game. The Saints rely on Drew Brees and the passing game for the majority of their points. They are second in passing offense, but could have trouble scoring if that gets stifled by Seattle. Twenty-two other teams average more yards on the ground per game than the Saints.

Betting Odds: Seattle-4.5, 47

Prediction: The Saints might be the second best team in the NFC, but on the road they’ve been no better than average. Seattle’s secondary is somewhat undermanned, but Richard Sherman, possibly the best cornerback in the NFL, will be ready to go. The Seahawks are one of the best teams at forcing turnovers, and Brees threw two interceptions in New Orleans’s last loss. He can't afford to have any serious miscues in a road game against an inspired defense. Russell Wilson leads a balanced offensive attack, and Seattle’s run game should be able to have some success.

Predicted Score: Seattle 24, New Orleans 17

United could still be in a bit of a tussle to win Group A. They’ll be sweating over just qualification if they lose out in Germany on Wednesday night. This is a very tough looking match for Daivd Moyes and the Bundesliga side will no doubt be out for some revenge after their 4-2 defeat at Old Trafford. The Germans can be an erratic side, but will United have enough defensively to at least get what would be a pretty valuable point?

Man Utd v Bayer Leverkusen Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365

Bayer Leverkusen 6/4, Man United 9/5, Draw 12/5

Man Utd v Bayer Leverkusen Betting Tips:

There is the scenario that United lose this and they will play Shakhtar Donetsk at Old Trafford on Match Day Six for second spot in the group. So the order of the day for David Moyes’ men is simply avoid defeat. That should be enough to see them comfortably through to the next round. However, the damage to United’s qualification has come on the road as they only managed to take a draw against Shakhtar and Real Sociedad. The Red Devils travel to Germany as underdogs on Wednesday and if they do pull out a win and Shakhtar lose, then the Premier League side will be safe. United first met Bayer Leverkusen back in the 2001/02 semi finals, and on that occasion the German side triumphed on aggregate after two drawn matches. United got the upper hand in the 2002/03 group stage, winning both matches. The Red Devils took an exciting, but relatively easy 4-2 win at 4-2 at Old Trafford on Match Day One, but Leverkusen have come back strongly since then.

Manchester United’s away record against Bundesliga opponents is W4 D4 L4. Ten times they have been to Germany in the Champions League and United have only managed to win three of them. If United don’t manage to post three points on Wednesday, then it will be the first time since the 2005/06 season that they will have failed to win an away game in the group. Manchester United have been struggling for wins on the road as they have now gone four in a row without a victory. Their worst ever away run in the Champions League was between February 2004 and 2008 when they went eight away games without a win. Defensively they haven’t been too bad on the road, conceding eight in their last 15 on the road. So there could be some value going Under 2.5 goals for a price of 4/5 with Bet365.

Leverkusen can be a bit hit and miss, although they are second in the Bundesliga. Their defence is not particularly great at all, but they have managed to drop just the two points at home this season in the German top flight. They have won both their home matches in the group so far. What carries them is their great forward talent, with Stefan Kiessling running at odds of 21/10 in the Anytime Goalscorer market, along with Sidney Sam at 2/1. Both are big threats to the United defence. However, the German side have been defeated in eight of their last nine Champions League encounters against sides from England. Not only that, they haven’t managed to keep a clean sheet in five previous matches against the Red Devils. But you can’t ignore their home form, having won their last eight Champions League matches on home turf. They do blow hot or cold and the balance between attack and defence they haven’t nailed down yet. A draw may not be a bad option at all.

Prediction

The Bundesliga side should have a large share of the game here, because United are generally negative on the road. So this could be tense and because top spot in the group is at stake, would look Under 2.5 goals at odds of 4/5 with Bet365.

Form (all competitions)

Leverkusen WWLDWW, Man United WWWDD

Stat Attack

United are without a win in their last four Champions League away games
United’s last three Champions League games have gone under 2.5 goals
Leverkusen have lost 8 of their last 9 Champions League games against English sides
Leverkusen have won their last eight home games in the group stage

The Merseyside derby is one of England’s best rivalries and each club has plenty to gain when Liverpool visit Everton Saturday.

Liverpool sit within two points of league leader Arsenal, the team they lost to earlier this month. Everton, meanwhile, sit in sixth place in the league table, five points back of the Gunners.

Everton are unbeaten in their last four English Premiership matches, but their last two have ended in scoreless draws. Goodison Park is a very tough place for opponents to play and Everton already have a win over Chelsea this season on their home pitch.

Everton have been a mainstay in the Europa League, but they aim for a top four finish in the EPL to get a coveted Champions League berth for next season. They can take a significant stride with a win over Liverpool this weekend.

Sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark had Liverpool as the road favorite at +140 with Everton at +180 and a draw line of +240.

The Reds’ only losses this season have come against Arsenal and Southampton. Their list of victories include a triumph over Manchester United.

These two teams have conceded the same amount of goals this season (10), but the Reds’ offense has been superior with seven more goals. Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suárez are tied for the league lead with eight goals apiece.

Suárez has been electric, scoring his goals in just six league matches since he returned from suspension.

Liverpool owner John Henry is flying Suárez back from Uruguay on his private jet after Tuesday’s World Cup intercontinental tie with Jordan, as he wants to make sure his star gets back in plenty of time for the big derby.

Romelu Lukaku leads Everton with five goals and no other player has more than two. Everton win with defense and, in 11 matches, they have just 14 goals. They have scored the least among the top nine teams in the league.

Everton goalie Tim Howard has two clean sheets in his last two matches and the Reds’ offense, which has scored 13 goals in their last five matches, will make it hard for him to make it three in a row.

Last season at Goodison Park, these teams played to a 2-2 draw.

Everton have won the time of possession battle in their last two matches, including dominating it in their last match, but their offense is out of stride. They have to get back on track against a tough Reds’ defense and the prediction calls for neither side to earn a clean sheet.

Prediction: 1-1 Draw