Tuesday
Young Boys v Aston Villa
Many neutrals will be keeping an eye on Aston Villa here to see how they get on in their opening Champions League match. However, I don’t think the Villians will have an easy time. Despite winning 3-2 against Everton at the weekend, they had to come from 2-0 goals down, and their defence has been a little leaky at times. Moreover, they are going to be without the likes of Leon Bailey and Matty Cash, who are key players for them. We all know that Unai Emery has a good pedigree in European competitions, but this isn’t an easy start.
Their opposition, the Young Boys, will certainly give Aston Villa a test. Despite lurking at the bottom of the Swiss League, Young Boys have picked up their form in their recent matches. They’re on an unbeaten run of six matches, and they managed to get past Galatasaray in the Champions League qualifying rounds. Furthermore, they’ve got a proven record against English sides, and they took the scalp of Manchester United in the 2021-22 season. Therefore, I think the Young Boys might be able to get a result, and the 13/10 on the double chance looks more than fair.
Selection: Young Boys Double Chance (13/10)
AC Milan v Liverpool
This will be a rematch of the 2005 Champions League final, with Liverpool coming in as odds-on favourites. Despite their strong market position, I don’t think this will be a cakewalk for the Reds. AC Milan are unbeaten in their last four matches against English opposition, and the San Siro is always a hard place to go.
Liverpool also need to bounce back after their first defeat of the season, as they lost to Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the weekend. I think Slot will make changes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Cody Gakpo or Darwin Nunez came into the starting eleven.
Having said that, AC Milan haven’t had the best of starts. They only won their first game of the season last weekend, with a 4-0 win over Venezia in Serie A. The Rossoneri will be looking to use that game as a springboard to kick on with their season.
For this match, I’m seeing a tight contest. I don’t think there will be too many goals, and the game could easily end up being a draw. I’m going for a 1-1 draw, which is currently 7/1 with Rhino.
Selection: AC Milan 1-1 Liverpool (7/1)
Wednesday
Manchester City v Inter Milan
This is one of the games of the week in the Champions League. When it comes to the favourites, Manchester City are the odds-on favourites to win, but I think this will be a lot closer than the betting suggests. Inter Milan have improved in recent seasons, and last year they comfortably won the Serie A title, only losing two games. Moreover, they reached the 2023 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Manchester City.
So far this season, Inter Milan are unbeaten in the league and come into this game in good form. The same can be said for Manchester City, but one thing I’ve noticed is their defence. In their last two games at the Etihad, they’ve conceded a goal with the away team scoring first, so that’s something Inter Milan will look to exploit.
Therefore, I am looking at Inter Milan to score first, and my attention is focusing on Marcus Thuram. The Frenchman has already found his shooting boots this season and comes here after scoring four goals in Serie A. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a fast start, and at 11/1, I am willing to take a chance on him scoring first.
Selection: Marcus Thuram First Goal Scorer (11/1)
Thursday
Atalanta v Arsenal
Atalanta and Arsenal have never played each other in a competitive game before, so it will be interesting to see how both teams get on.
Arsenal have made a promising start to the Premier League season, winning all four of their games. However, they are beginning to have a few injury issues. The Gunners will be missing their club captain Martin Odegaard, which is a huge blow. They’ll also have to assess Bukayo Saka, who came off early in the North London Derby.
Atalanta, on the other hand, don’t have too many injury concerns, and they can field a strong team. So far the Italian side have had a mixed start to the season, but they did win their last game against Fiorentina 3-2 at the weekend. Moreover, they have recent experience of European competition, as they got to the final of the Europa League last season, so they shouldn’t be underestimated.
For this game, I think Atalanta will make things hard for Arsenal. Therefore, I can see a draw happening, and at 11/4, that’s the way I’m playing.
Selection: Draw (11/4)
