Tag: Champions League tips

Napoli v Real Madrid: Partenopei Face Uphill Battle To Progress

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

European football’s premier club competition, the Champions League, returns on Tuesday evening with 11-times champions Real Madrid travelling to Naples aiming to secure their place in the quarter-final draw.

They will take a two-goal advantage into the match in southern Italy after recording a 3-1 victory in the first leg at the Bernabeu three weeks ago. However, Lorenzo Insigne’s opening goal for the visitors that night gives the passionate Partenopei supporters real hope that their heroes can overturn their two-goal deficit and progress at the expense of their more illustrious opponents.

Madrid Looking for ‘La Dos Décima’

Reigning European champions Real, who defeated cross-city rivals Atlético on penalties in last May’s final in Milan to win their 11th title, overcame that early goal from Insigne thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and a stunning Casemiro volley to put themselves in the driving seat for a place in the tournament’s last eight.

And despite a concerning run of form of late for Zinedine Zidane’s men, a run including defeat on the road at Valencia and dropped points at home to Las Palmas, leading some dramatists to declare it a crisis, Los Merengues will head into Tuesday’s match in the intimidating atmosphere of the Stadio San Paolo as the overwhelming favourites to emerge as aggregate victors. BetVictor are currently quoting them as low as 1/12 to progress and 9/2 to become the first club since Arrigo Sacchi’s dominant AC Milan of the late 1980s and early 1990s to retain the much-coveted trophy.

Napoli, under the guidance of Maurizio Sarri, finished top of their group in the pool stages and will be hoping Real suffer from stage fright as the club strive to move a giant step closer towards winning the ultimate prize in club football, adding to their sole previous European triumph when the legendary Diego Maradona inspired them to UEFA Cup glory in 1991.

Napoli Out to Overcome Long Odds

Currently sitting third in the Serie A table behind dominant leaders Juventus and second-placed Roma, Napoli is a huge but tempting 6/1 with Ladbrokes to overcome the odds and the doubters to eliminate the current holders.

They do however possess the necessary firepower to achieve the impossible with the likes of Insigne, Belgian forward Dries Mertens, former Madridista José María Callejón and goalscoring captain Marek Hamšík within their ranks. Mertens, Napoli’s top scorer in the competition with four to date and an impressive 16 goals in Serie A this season is a tempting 5/1 with Sky Bet to open the scoring, while Callejón is a tasty 13/2 to net first against his former employers.

However, if the Italian giants are to progress in the competition, they will need to shut out Real’s own trio of superstars, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Welshman Gareth Bale who has extra motivation to reach a third final in four seasons with his home city of Cardiff set to host this year’s showpiece event.

Ronaldo to Renew Rivalry with Reina

Ronaldo, Real’s leading marksmen once again this term with 18 league goals, has yet to hit the heights in Europe during this campaign, netting just twice to date. He is nevertheless the favourite with Sky Bet to silence the home fans with the game’s first goal at 7/2, while he is 9/1 with the same bookmaker to claim a sixth career Champions League hat-trick.

The man tasked with the responsibility of stopping his former Manchester United rival Ronaldo and his fellow superstars will be Spanish international goalkeeper Pepe Reina, born in Madrid and son of Miguel who donned the gloves for Real’s arch-rivals Barcelona and Atlético Madrid during his own distinguished career. Reina Jr, a beaten finalist with Liverpool in 2007, is 4/1 to keep a clean sheet with Paddy Power. If he can achieve such an impressive feat and his teammates can find two goals from somewhere, Napoli will progress on away goals at Real’s expense.

Anything can happen in football of course and I may find a spare fiver from somewhere to wager on Napoli achieving a major shock. But I wouldn’t bet my mortgage on it!

Another Defeat For The Foxes

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

LEICESTER suffered another set back at the weekend with their FA Cup exit at League One Millwall and it’s going to get a lot worse on Wednesday night when the Champions of England make the tough trip to the south of Spain to face Sevilla.

The Foxes are having a complete nightmare of a season and Saturday’s FA Cup loss was the low light of what has truly been a staggering collapse from Claudio Ranieri’s side.

Many expected a decline at the King Power, but nobody would’ve predicted that they would be in a relegation battle and without a single win away all season.

This is as tough as it gets in Europe for Leicester and there is no way in the world that can seriously be considered for betting even at the general price 10.00.

Although Leicester has been at their best in the Champions League they arrive at the last 16 stage in the worst form of the season without a win in their last eight matches, with three straight away defeats and no goals scored in those matches.

Sevilla has been the Europa Cup kings in the last couple of seasons and Jorge Sampaoli’s side look absolute good things to win this and odds of 1.40 although very short, will see you collecting.

Los Rojiblancos are a force to be reckoned with at their intimidating Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan home and they’ve been in great form this season sitting in third place in La Liga behind Real Madrid and Barcelona after an impressive seven-match unbeaten run at home.

GOALS LOOK ON THE CARDS

In those seven matches Sevilla have scored a staggering 22 goals and they are expected to add to that tally with a few again against a Leicester side that is conceding goals for fun and I am going to be taking Sevilla on the Asian handicap lines as well -1.5 goals which is 2.05 with BetVictor.

I can’t see Leicester adding to the goals though in this one as main goalscoring duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have gone missing for much of the season, and with clean sheets in their last two home games, I am taking Sevilla to win to nil again at 2.25 with Paddy Power.

For correct-score punters this really could be all over before the return leg in a fortnight’s time and at 10.00 again with Paddy Power you can do a lot worse than back the Spanish giants to win 3-0.

 

Man City vs. Monaco, Falcao and Aguero at the Etihad

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Next Tuesday sees high-flying Monaco travel to the Etihad to take on an improving Man City. This is the first time these two sides will come together in Champions League history, and with both sides in fine goal scoring form, the potential is here for a true football spectacle.

Manchester City

City, currently sitting in 2nd place in the Premier League and coming into this game on a strong run of form, 6 wins out of 8 with 21 goals, Guardiola is looking to propel the club past the round of 16 for only the second time in the club’s history. Drawing Monaco seems to be a mixed blessing, avoiding a PSG side who put 4 past Barcelona last Tuesday will be preferred, but Monaco is nothing to be scoffed at. The blue half of Manchester will have high expectations, but their hopes could well be dashed.

Much of the current discussion at City is being generated by their forwards. The arrival of Gabriel Jesus has brought to bear the long-term commitment of talisman striker Sergio Aguero, now threatening a summer move to Real Madrid. Amidst the controversy, Jesus quickly found himself with a metatarsal fracture, putting him out of action until May, further complicating the matter. He joins Ilkay Gündogan on the bench, as well as John Stones who is still in recovery from a head injury that has put him out of contention since the end of January.

Monaco

Sitting 3 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, Monaco is in possession of some truly intimidating form. Unbeaten in all competitions in 2017, with 26 goals in only 8 games, Monaco are no lightweight draw for Man City, and could arguably be considered the favourites in this match. Should they get the better of City next Tuesday, and considering PSG’s phenomenal performance against Barca, this could well be the first season a French team has won Europe’s premier competition since Marseilles in 1993.

Radamel Falcao is the in form player to look out for here. Back at Monaco after unsuccessful loan stints at Manchester United and Chelsea, the Colombian has been truly scintillating so far this season. Joint 3rd in the Ligue 1 goal charts with 16, he has 5 in the last 5 games and will be looking to add to that tally against City. Alongside Falcao, Monaco is capable of putting out a dynamic and attack minded midfield, led by playmaker Joao Moutinho. Gabriel Boschilia is their only player out with an injury.

The value

There is no head to head data to look at, as these two haven’t met before, but it is worth noting that Monaco beat Tottenham 2:1 both home and away in the group stages. City, however, with more recent squad experience in the Champions League have already proven to be more capable of winning in Europe than their Premier League rivals.

I would expect this game to follow the Spurs game in a BTTS pattern, with both sides so strong up front: Bet Victor have BTTS at 13/20 and Bet 365 have City to Win and BTTS:Yes at 21/10. BTTS:Yes and Draw could also be a good shout, considering Monaco’s quality, but I would expect the home team to carry it here.

Will Tottenham Qualify for the Europa League?

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Tottenham Hotspur takes on CSKA Moscow on Wednesday in what will be Spurs’ final game in this seasons’ Champions League. A string of mediocre performances means they cannot qualify for the knockout phase. They currently sit in third place in the group on 4pts and a point ahead of CSKA Moscow. So effectively this game has turned into a shootout for third place and a Europa League slot after Christmas.

It is debatable how much effort Tottenham have put into this years’ competition. Playing their home games at Wembley certainly hasn’t helped them. There may have been 80,000+ fans inside Wembley, but that can’t compensate for a home stadium back at White Hart Lane. In fact playing at Wembley seemed to motivate the opposition more than it did Tottenham in their two previous matches there. Given the recent mediocre performances of English teams in the Europa League, it will be interesting to see which team Mauricio Pochettino names for this match.

Will Tottenham go for the Win?

Under normal circumstances then Tottenham would be big favourites to qualify for the Europa League. They only need to avoid defeat at home and the Europa League place is theirs. CSKA Moscow, on the other hand, is a team to be respected. Their recent form hasn’t been good and recent defeats to city rivals Lokomotiv Moscow and Spartak Moscow within six days hasn’t done much for their confidence.

Tottenham won 1-0 in Moscow in their first encounter, but will the Wembley jinx strike again? CSKA currently sit 8pts behind leaders Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League. They do have some Europa League pedigree as they won the competition back in 2005. It’s really difficult to predict this game. Tottenham will likely take the Europa League spot, but you wouldn’t bet against CSKA Moscow getting a win at Wembley.

So Where is the Value

So which is the best bet? This isn’t an easy question to answer. Tottenham is 1-2 with Bet365 to win, but that isn’t a bet that should get you too excited. Now that Tottenham cannot qualify for the Champions League knockout stage, it will be interesting to see how much Spurs really want to be in the Europa League? The draw at 10-3 with Stan James is the preferred option and Bet365 quote 6-1 on a CSKA win.

An interesting side bet could be profitable here too. You can get 10-11 with Bet365 on both teams to score. Given that the Europa League will be a more attractive proposition for CSKA Moscow than for Tottenham, you would expect CSKA to go for goals. Tottenham should have enough quality in attack to score at some stage and this makes for a very interesting bet. As long as you stay clear of the really short odds for a Spurs win then you should be fine.

Porto vs. Leicester City: A Single Goal Could Win It

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Five games, four wins, one draw and no losses: when it comes to Champions League form this season, there’s only one club performing better than the Foxes, and that’s last season’s finalists, Atletico Madrid. Despite being 40/1 outsiders to lift the competition’s trophy with Sun Bets, City looks like a tough team to beat in Europe this season, and they can solidify this reputation further on December 7 when they take on Porto.

By now, Foxes fans and betting experts will know that following the odds is a bad idea when it comes to Leicester City. Last season’s 5,000/1 upset will live in the memories of bookmakers for many years to come, so it’s little surprise that they’re reluctant to go too long on Leicester this season. However, despite kerbing their pessimism and shortening their prices, the odds makers still can’t bring themselves to make City the favourites against Portugal’s finest.

Ranieri’s Men Doing Everything Wrong

Ahead of the match, Porto is the betting favourites with Sky Bet at 4/11. Despite sitting five points behind Leicester in Group G, Porto is the darlings of the betting world. Now, much of the antipathy towards Leicester could be down to their poor performance in the Premier League this season. Although mid-table mediocrity would have been fine for fans a few seasons ago, the title win in 2015/2016 has certainly raised expectations.

Unfortunately, Claudio Ranieri’s men haven’t been able to recreate that magic. In fact, following a shock 2-1 loss to Sunderland, Ranieri told the media that there is “everything wrong” with his side’s current form. Dropping to 15th in the Premier League and boasting the worst title defence stats in history, things aren’t looking good for Leicester at home and the bookies clearly feel this will spill over to the Champions League at some point.

One of the team’s biggest problems so far has been goals or, to put it another way, a lack of goals. When Leicester won the league, Jamie Vardy and his 24 goals made a huge contribution. This season, however, a clean sheet in 16 games has not only led some to brand him a flash in the pan, but it’s left Leicester City floundering. 17 for in the Premier isn’t good enough, despite performing better in the Champions League, they’ve still only scored seven.

Defence Standing Strong Despite Poor Form

Now, all clouds have a silver lining and for Leicester City in the Champions League, it’s been goals conceded. Although they might not be pinging in goals from all angles, Kasper Schmeichel has only had to pick the ball out of the net once. Of course, a wrist injury has kept the Danish player on the sidelines since early November, but the fact remains that City has been as strong as anyone defensively this season.

In fact, it’s because of their ability to shut down teams and stifle “superior” players that has allowed City to reach the top of their group. However, there comes a point when absorbing pressure from elite level teams becomes too much, and Porto could be the team to finally bust open the obvious cracks in Ranieri’s team.

Porto hasn’t lost in eight games and manager Nuno Espírito Santo looks to have found a way to bring the best out in the likes of keeper Iker Casillas and striker Andre Miguel Valente Silva. However, much like City, Porto haven’t exactly been prolific in front of goal. In fact, a 3-0 win over Arouca back in October is the most the team has scored in a single game over their last eight games.

Don’t Expect Goals Galore

On paper, this match looks as though it will be a war of attrition. With neither side prone to leaks at the back, goals will probably be scarce, which is why Sun Bets’ 11/1 on 0-0 looks to have some value. However, while it’s fair to expect a lack of goals, it’s also important to remember that City is on the back foot.

Poor performances in the Premier League sit in contrast to Porto’s recent unbeaten streak, and that could be the difference in this match. Yes, 9/1 on a Leicester win with Ladbrokes looks to be an attractive price given their Champions League form to date, but Porto clearly has the edge in terms of recent wins.

Perhaps the best value bets for this one are the scorecasts in favour of Porto. 1-0 (5/1) or 2/1 (8/1) with Sun Bets certainly look promising. But, if you’re really looking to cover all the bases, Sky Bets’ “Porto to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1” is possibly the pick of the bunch at 11/8.

Whichever way this match goes, the one thing we can be confident about is that there won’t be a glut of goals. Of course, the two teams could surprise us, but given their current strike rates, it’s fair to say that whoever comes away with a result is unlikely to do so by more than a single goal.

A Bore Draw In Group D

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WHAT was set-up as a final match Group D decider between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich has turned out to be a dead rubber.

The two group giants meet at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night in a match that looked destined to determine who would top the group, but Atletico have already guaranteed top spot and Bayern will join them in the last 16 with runners-up position and that means this is tough to call.

When scenarios like this arise it’s very hard to gauge which one of the two sides will be taking the match the more serious of the two, and on this occasion, I believe it’s a game that neither side will care too much about.

Bayern Favourites with the Bookies

Bayern has been installed the 1.66 favourites with William Hill, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been far from impressive both domestically and in the Champions League.

The five-times champions of Europe were beaten 3-2 in Russia by Rostov in their last Champions League match, and are sitting in second in the domestic table behind surprise leaders Leipzig. With some crucial domestic matches approaching, including a massive home match with the league leaders, Ancelotti may decide to rest players for this dead rubber.

Last season’s Champions League runners-up Atletico have a 100 percent group record, winning all five of their matches only conceding the one goal in the process, and Diego Simone’s side look a big price at the 6.00 to win in Germany.

Atletico is right in the mix yet again in the La Liga shake-up, and at the weekend they have a massive match against Villarreal. With them already guaranteed top spot, that match is certain to take priority. Simone also looks likely to ring the changes, and with doubts surrounding the strength of both sides starting XI’s the draw looks the most appealing play in the match markets at a huge 4.00 with Bet365.

Differing Styles

These two sides are vastly different in the way the play football, with Bayern full of attacking flair and Atletico one of the strongest, if not the strongest defensive units in Europe.

This is a real difficult one to have a strong view on the goal markets as they could throw the shackles off and really go all out, or they could just go through the motions in a low scoring dull affair; I am going to take a chance on the later.

Under 2.5 is 1.91 with Coral, and that has been a winning bet in four of Atletico’s five Champions League matches; at 11.00 with William Hill, I am taking a real left-field punt on no goalscorer in Bavaria.