Champions League
Wednesday UCL betting tips and preview
Juventus have been mid this season but still, no one expected them to lose so meekly to unfancied Maccabi Haifa last night. Right now, the Old Lady sits a distant third behind both PSG and Benfica with games against the top two teams in Group H still to come. Any more dropped points will see them suffer the ignominy of playing in the Europa League for the first time since the 2010/11 season.
Also in danger of dropping to the 2nd tier of European club football is AC Milan who failed to avenge their 3-0 first leg loss after a 0-2 defeat at the San Siro yesterday.
As it stands, the only Serie A sides likely to qualify for the next round of the UCL are Napoli and Inter Milan. Read on for those betting tips and a couple of others below!
Napoli vs Ajax
Of the European teams that have started the 2021/’22 season well, Napoli’s start is arguably the most impressive. Manchester City’s dominance is expected while Arsenal plays in the Europa League. The Neapolitans, however, are at the top of both their League and European tables by relying on savvy talent ID and a manager who can make a team better than the sum of its parts.
After putting 6 goals past Ajax at the Johan Cruyff arena in the first leg, Napoli will be confident that a home win tonight is on the cards. As usual, the attack will be led by Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia, along with Hirving Lozano and one of Giacomo Raspadori or Giovanni Simeone. Another high-scoring game is likely here.
Ajax will need to be careful if they’re to avoid a second straight pasting in the UCL. That will be hard to do as they’re still smarting from the 1-6 defeat in the first leg. They’ll be itching to go on the attack from the opening whistle; it’s down to Head Coach, Alfred Schreuder to calm his team down and ensure that they approach this game with level heads. As usual, look to emerging Ghanaian star, Mohammed Kudus, to lead the attack.
Verdict: Ajax will put up a spirited fight, but it’s hard to look beyond Napoli for this one.
Our picks:
Rangers vs Liverpool
Liverpool fans, there’s no easy way to say this, but your team is in trouble. Another loss to Arsenal leaves the Reds in 10th place in the English Premier League, 14 points adrift of the top with just nine games played. More importantly, that air of invincibility that Liverpool had in past seasons has now been stripped away. Rangers will be eager to test the chin of the wobbling giants and see if a telling punch can be landed tonight.
Liverpool have lost Luis Diaz, their best player this season, until year’s end. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip also got injured in Liverpool’s last game and will be out for a couple of weeks. That, in addition to the several first team players missing, means that the Reds are there for the taking.
Verdict: The Reds should still win. Rangers have picked up zero points and scored no goals this season for a reason. They’re terrible. However, any mistakes will be pounced upon by a grateful Rangers, and Liverpool are good for at least a couple of those in a game.
Our picks:
bet on another low-scoring game and hedge the bet with a 12 + under 4.5 goals @ 1.52
You can also take a punt on Rangers to score with a ‘Both teams to score’ bet @ 1.83
Barcelona vs Inter
Revenge is a dish served cold. Barcelona will still be smarting at how the 1-0 loss to Inter unfolded last week and will be itching to correct that with an emphatic victory today. With the prolific Robert Lewandowski leading the Barcelona attack, a home win is the biggest likelihood here.
Inter will not be discouraged, however. They won the first leg despite being underdogs and will hope their game plan will frustrate Barcelona once again. Sitting deep and hitting the Blaugrana on the break worked last week, why not again?
Verdict: A home win is the most likely result here. Barcelona are better and are motivated to win and avoid dropping down to the Europa League. Beating Bayern seems to still be beyond them, these are the kinds of games they need to win to have a hope of progressing to the UCL round of 16.
Our picks:
Barcelona to win odds boosted to 1.48
Expect goals in this one – ‘over 2.5 goals’ @ 1.55
Inter to win with a 2 goal advantage (0:2) @ 1.65
Tottenham vs Frankfurt
Every football fan worth their salt knows the quote. “It’s the history of Tottenham. They always created many chances to score so much, but at the end they miss always something to arrive at the end.” That was Giorgio Chiellini after his Juventus side had just seen off Tottenham to progress to the UCL quarter-finals in 2018. His implication was clear – Tottenham did not have that little extra to get them over the line that all the top sides do.
Four years later and that quote still looms large over the North London club, even after the appointment of Antonio Conte. Going into this season’s UCL campaign, Tottenham had the best team on paper but by the end of tonight’s fixtures, they could find themselves in last place if they lose and other results do not go their way. Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and the rest of the team will need to be at their best to ensure that they win and progress from Group D remains firmly in their hands.
Frankfurt, on the other hand, do not have issues summoning a little extra to push them over the line in times of need. The reigning UEFA Europa League champions have championship experience that will stand them in good stead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight.
Verdict: Tottenham have been in indifferent form in their last five games, winning just twice, losing twice and drawing the fifth game. They have won all five of their home games this season so far and will be hard to beat at home once again. The visitors lost to last-place VfL Bochum over the weekend and will need to try something different if they’re to pull off a win here.
Our picks:
Tottenham to win @ 1.48. All three of the home side’s UCL fixtures this season have seen less than three goals scored.
Bet on that pattern continuing with an ‘under 2.5 goals’ bet @ 2.15.
Try out a combo bet and also hedge your bet with ‘1X + under 3.5 goals’ @ 1.68
Bet on the remaining UCL games tonight below
