Tag: Borussia Dortmund

Champions League – Barcelona v Man City Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Manchester City slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at Burnley at the weekend to leave themselves trailing Chelsea by six points. The London club still have a game in hand, although neither side have been impressive in recent weeks. Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool have all gained ground and are now breathing down City’s neck in the race for Champions League qualification next season.

Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by PSG on away goals last week and City could follow them out of the exit door when they face Barcelona on Wednesday night. City lost the home leg 2-1 but it could easily have been much worse. Gael Clichy’s red card left them a man short for the third successive time against the Spaniards and a third goal looked inevitable. Joe Hart saved Lionel Messi’s penalty but the Argentine should still have put away the rebound.

3-1 would have left City on the brink but they have been given a lifeline and will surely adopt a more positive approach this time. Rather like Chelsea against PSG, City appeared to be almost paralysed by fear and were spectators for much of the game as Barcelona ran rings around them. If the same City turns up on Wednesday, they will surely be well beaten. The home side have Suarez, Messi and Neymar in their line-up, all eager to get on the score sheet.

With the possible exceptions of Aguero and Silva, City’s star players have fallen short in recent months and they are running out of opportunities. I fear that City’s season could get worse before it starts to get better.

The night’s other tie looks a good deal less one-sided with Juventus holding a 2-1 lead against Borussia Dortmund. The Italians were not particularly impressive in Turin and the Germans grabbed a vital away goal. They know that a 1-0 win would be sufficient to go into the last eight but I cannot quite see them holding out for 90 minutes.

Former Premiership striker Carlos Tevez has scored 21 goals this season and Paul Pogba is apparently being pursued by Manchester United and Chelsea. They will miss the experience of Andrea Pirlo in midfield due to injury but could just sneak a draw and go through.

Borussia Dortmund v Juventus DRAW @5-2 Boylesports

Borussia Dortmund 1 Juventus 1 @6-1 Paddy Power

Barcelona 3 Man City 0 @21-2 BetVictor

Lionel Messi to score and Barcelona win @4-5 SkyBet

Luis Suarez to score and Barcelona win @6-4 Ladbrokes

Champions League Preview 24th February

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea managed to cling on to a 1-1 draw at PSG last week in the Champions League and it is now the turn of Premiership rivals Man City to re-start their European campaign.

City’s inexperience in Europe has cost them dearly in previous seasons but they managed to qualify from the group stages despite a miserable start to their campaign. Manuel Pellegrini will have emphasised the need for discipline to his players after City finished both legs of last season’s clash with Barcelona a man short.

A 5-0 win over Newcastle helped City close to within five points of Chelsea in the title race and will have given them the perfect tonic for Tuesday night’s game.  The return of Yaya Toure from the African Cup of Nations was a key factor in Saturday’s impressive victory but he is suspended from this match. They do at least have a fit front-line with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko both on the mark against Newcastle and new signing Wilfried Bony waiting in the wings.

Barcelona are obviously not short of talent themselves with the daunting prospect of Messi, Neymar and Suarez in a side that has scored 22 goals in their last five away games. A shock 1-0 defeat to Malaga at the weekend dented their La Liga hopes but it was surely no more than a blip.

In Tuesday’s other game, Juventus meet Borussia Dortmund in Turin, a repeat of the 1997 UEFA Champions League final. Massimiliano Allegri’s team are unbeaten in ten home games in Europe and 45 in all competitions. Paul Pogba has been in outstanding form and they look a good bet to take a decisive advantage from the first leg.

Dortmund finished above Arsenal in Group D but got off to a terrible start in the Bundesliga. Two successive victories have helped them out of the relegation zone but it is hardly Champions League form.

There are plenty of special offers floating about on this one. Bet365 are a free in-play bet of up to £50 on the game for anyone betting pre-match. This is only available to customers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

New customers to Betfair can have odds of 5-1 about a Barcelona victory or 9-1 if you fancy Man City to triumph in the first leg. This applies up to a maximum stake of £10. New Unibet customers can have 6-1 against a City victory up to £10.

Best Bet

Juventus to beat Dortmund @11-10 Paddy Power

Arsenal and Dortmund to grind out draw

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Champions League group stages are coming to their conclusion and Arsenal can book their place in the knockout phase by taking a point from their clash with Borussia Dortmund.

The Germans need only a point from their two remaining fixtures to guarantee finishing top of the group. The theory is that the group winners will meet slightly easier opposition in the next round but everyone knows that there are no easy games in the Champions League.

What should be a clash of English and German title contenders is actually a long way short of that with both teams struggling domestically. Arsenal have lost their last two Premier League games against Chelsea and Manchester United and are already fifteen points adrift of the leaders. Realistically, the Gunners are already resigned to chasing a top four spot and ensuring Champions League football next season.

The loss of Jack Wilshere through injury is a blow to the team who had the majority of the possession against United but created very little. Ironically it was French International Olivier Giroud who brought the game to life but he is not eligible for Wednesday night’s game at the Emirates. He was expected to be out until the new year so Wenger left him out of his 25-strong squad for the qualifying group stages.

Arsenal do still have plenty of attacking options with the in-form Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck leading the attack. Both players have shown flashes of brilliance in the Champions League this season and will need to do so again if they are to unlock the German defence.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have been quite superb in this tournament, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one on the way to maximum points. Their domestic form does not even come close to that with only 11 points from 12 games. Like Arsenal, they also suffered an injury set-back at the weekend with the loss of Marco Reus until the new year.

The reverse fixture resulted in a comfortable 2-0 win for Dortmund with Arsenal performing well below par. Apart from a brilliant 4-1 win over Galatasaray, Arsenal have been at their best so far this season. They looked set to dish out a thrashing to Anderlecht when racing into a 3-0 lead only to let it slip in the final thirty minutes.

Arsenal can still win the group but neither side would be too disappointed with a draw here and that looks the safest bet. The odds against a 0-0 draw also look too tempting to refuse.

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund DRAW @13-5 BetVictor

Arsenal 0 Dortmund 0 @15-1 BetVictor

Champions League Final Night 2013 – My Bets

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

I am so torn with this game as I think Bayern Munich are going to win this clash of the Germans at Wembley. But with this said both teams could cancel each other out and it could either finish in 90 minutes with a single goal or it could go to extra time and penlites. My betting action is going on the correct score and first goal scorer markets as I am backing the match to be over in 90 minutes and Bayer Munich to lift the European Champions League Cup.

The exciting thing about this weekend is that there is lots of sport on the TV which brings us all great betting opportunities. The Champions League Final is the highlight of the weekend, but there is also boxing right after the Champions League Final. This fight is between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler and is going to prove to be a massive fight. It could go either way in this boxing match as Carl Froch has never been beaten in his home town of Nottingham but he is fighting in The O2 arena in London so he should have a home advantage against his opponent Mikkel Kessler from Denmark. But the story of a home advantage may not stack up for Froch as Kessler also has UK roots. His mother is English and he has a half brother who is English so Mikkel Kessler expects allot of UK support tonight at the O2.

Kessler beat Froch last time they meet in Denmark and now Froch is seeking revenge after his defeat. Froch is currently the holder of the IBF Super Middleweight title and Kessler is the current holder of the WBA World Super Middleweight title. So who ever wins this fight will walk away tonight with two World titles and allot of boxing pride.

Then tomorrow we have the big F1 race in Monaco where it looks like our home grown talent Lewis Hamilton could finish on the podium as long as his driving is good and the car performs. here is what I am betting on this weekend so follow if your fancy it or just keep you fingers crossed for me and the team here at Betcirca. Dont forget you also get a free £10 bet with Skybet when you join. Clcik the links on the right hand side of this website to join anyone of our approved bookmakers.

Robert Lewandowski and Borussia Dortmund to win 2-1 – 100/1 with William Hill

Robert Lewandowski last goal scorer and Bayern Munich to win 3-1 – 195/1 with William Hill

Correct score Bayern Munich 3-1 – 12/1 with Paddy Power

Robert Lewandowski to score first and Bayern Munich to win 3-1 – 100/1 with Paddy Power

Robert Lewandowski to score first and Bayern Munich win 3-2 – 150/1 with Paddy Power

Robert Lewandowski to score anytime and Bayern Munich to win 8/1 with Paddy Power

Carl Froch Method of Victory KO/TKO @ 9/4 and Bayern Munich @ 4/5 the double is 4.85 double with Paddy Power

I have done a cheeky cover with Borussia Dortmund to win on penalties 12/1 with William Hill

I have also done a cheeky cover with Bayern Munich to win on penalties 12/1 with William Hill

Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton @ 10/3
Champion League Final Robert Lewandowski to score in 90 minutes and Borussia Dortmund to win the match @ 6/1
Scottish FA Cup Hibernian v Celtic – Hampden Park Celtic @ 2/5
Boxing Carl Froch V Mikkel Kessler Carl Froch @ 4/9

The four fold pays £613.41 for a £10 stake. with Paddy Power

have a great weekend punting.