For this Champions League preview, I’m going to be focusing on all four of the English teams, where hopefully we can find a couple of winning selections.
Arsenal v PSG
This looks like one of the games of the week, as Arsenal host PSG at the Emirates. Both teams avoided defeat in their opening Champions League game. Arsenal got a respectable 0-0 draw against Atalanta, and PSG got a last-minute 1-0 over Spanish side Girona.
Coming into this game, Arsenal are a touch of odds-on at 8/11. Though the Gunners may seem a bit short, I do think they should be favourites. PSG might be head and shoulders in Ligue 1, but in the Champions League they don’t always turn up, especially in the group stages. Last season they failed to win an away game in the Champions League group stage. Moreover, the Parisian side have lost the likes of star player Kylian Mbappe, so they do lack a talisman to drag them through games.
Having said that, I do think they can get on the scoresheet. A lot has been made in recent weeks about Arsenal’s defence, but they still have been leaking the odd goal. In fact, apart from their opening Premier League game of the season, the Gunners have conceded in every home game in the Emirates this season, across all competitions. Therefore, I do think there will be goals.
I can see Arsenal winning this game, 2-1 or maybe 3-1, so Arsenal will to with over 2.5 goals at 7/4 looks a fair.
Selection: Arsenal To Win And Over 2.5 Goals (7/4)
Slovan Bratislava v Manchester City
Manchester City are very short-priced favourites to win this game at 1/25, with Slovan Bratislava at a massive 40/1. It’s hard to see the Slovakian side getting anything from the game. They lost to Celtic 5-1 in their opening Champions League match. Also, the goal scoring and goal markets look particularly short to get stuck into. Therefore, I’ve been trying to get an angle with corners, and I think I’ve found one.
Manchester City always have plenty of corners in their games. Since they’ve started the season, the Sky Blues have at least registered 11 or more corners from both teams in their games on five occasions this season. This incidence has also occurred, including in their last two matches.
Against Slovan Bratislava, I’d expect Man City to dominate possession and create a lot of chances. Therefore, I can see them racking up plenty of corners. It’s 11/8 for there to be over 10.5 corners, which looks a touch generous to me. I’d expected it to be a shade of odds on, so I’m happy to keep that price on side.
Selection: Over 10.5 Corners (11/8)
Aston Villa v Bayern Munich
This is the match I’m most looking forward to this week. I’ve enjoyed watching Aston Villa this season, and I think they can surprise a few people in the Champions League. Apart from a 2-0 loss to Arsenal earlier in the season, the Villains are unbeaten. The Midlands side also have a strong squad to call on, and their manager, Unai Emery, has a strong pedigree in European competition.
Bayern Munich come into this game at the top of the Bundesliga, which they’ll be looking to regain. They also arrive here in top form after they demolished Dyanmo Zagreb 9-2 in their opening Champions League game. In their last match, Harry Kane came off with a suspected injury, but it looks like he’ll be ok for this game.
Though Bayern are the favourites, I definitely think Aston Villa will give them a game. Bayern have also been a bit suspect at the back for me, and I think you can get at them. The likes of Kim Min-jae always have a mistake in him, which cost Bayern in the semi-finals of the Champions League last year after he gave a couple of silly penalties.
Aston Villa are currently 23/20 on the double chance, which I think is a little bit too big.
Selection: Aston Villa Double Chance (23/20)
Liverpool v Bologna
Liverpool made an impressive start to their Champions League game after they beat AC Milan 3-1. Their opponents Bologna also made a fair start as they drew 0-0 with Shakhtar Donetsk, but this is going to be a tough test for them.
Despite that, the Italian side aren’t complete pushovers. In the Serie A this season, they’ve only lost one of their six matches, and their defence is quite solid. Moreover, they had the ability to score goals. Earlier this year, they signed 20-year-old Argentinian Santiago Castro, and he’s proven a real goal this season, scoring three goals in seven games. I wouldn’t be surprised if bigger clubs in Europe had a look at him next summer if he were continuing to find the net. He’s currently 11/2 to score anytime.
However, Liverpool should have too much quality for Bologna. The likes of Luiz Diaz, Mo Salah, and Diogo Jota are all starting to find their stride, and I expect them to get on the scoresheet. The only weakness for Liverpool I see at the moment is that they do leak the odd goal. In their last four games, they’ve only kept one clean sheet, so I can see Bologna scoring. Therefore, Liverpool to win and Both Teams To Score makes sense at 7/4.
Selection: Liverpool To Win And BTTS (7/4)
