Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League is around the corner! The sides in the tournament have had an extra week off from Europe’s elite competition, with the international break gracing its presence.
The big match in Matchday 2 saw Atletico Madrid leapfrog Bayern Munich in Group D, beating the Bavarians 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon. The other big game in that round witnessed a four-goal stalemate between Borussia Dortmund and title-holders, Real Madrid. Matchday 3 promises to be just as thrilling with a clash between Barcelona and Manchester City but let’s see where else we can make an extra bit of change!
Tuesday 18 October
GROUP E
Bayer Leverkusen 11/10 | Draw 47/20 | Tottenham 47/20
Bayer Leverkusen were thwarted last time out as they conceded deep into injury time against Monaco to draw their second consecutive group game. They then gave the best possible response with a 2-0 home victory over Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga.
Tottenham, like Leverkusen, also trounced a title-challenger 2-0 in the form of Manchester City at White Hart Lane in their last encounter. In the absence of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son has been sublime for Spurs and is the clubs leading scorer this season. This is a game that has Both Teams To Score written all over it; which comes in at 13/20.
CSKA Moscow 31/20 | Draw 43/20 | Monaco 7/4
CSKA Moscow go in search of their first win of the tournament when they host Monaco in Russia. Leonid Slutsky’s side fell to defeat in their opening home match – a 1-0 loss at the hands of Spurs. The Horses still have a chance in Group E and will look to hurdle over their poor start in the Champions League.
Monaco on the other hand, are a team hard to break down at the moment. The French giants snatched a late draw in their last group game against Leverkusen, courtesy of a thunderous Kamil Glik strike. Leonardo Jardim’s side bounced back strongly after the stalemate, defeating Metz 7-0 away from home in Ligue 1. Make of that what you will, but I know where my money will be. Monaco at 17/4 looks a damn good bet!
GROUP F
Sporting 47/20 | Draw 51/20 | Dortmund 21/20
The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Sporting, who won just one of their last three domestic games. In the Champions League, though, the Lisbon-based club have been fairly decent. They beat Legia Warsaw in a match that was expected to be one-way traffic from the start. Before that, the Lions were undone by a late Real Madrid header to go down 2-1.
Borussia Dortmund have been one of my personal favourites this season. They’ve scored eight goals in the two matches played so far and refused to give Madrid the game, despite going a goal down twice. Dortmund are a joy to watch and should maintain their free-scoring form. The away win comes in at 21/20; get on!
Real Madrid 1/50 | Draw 13/1 | Legia Warsaw 45/1
Champions League holders, Real Madrid, will have no better opportunity to turn their recent form around when they host Legia Warsaw. Los Blancos have drawn four consecutive matches in all competitions, at the time of writing. Legia have a last chance to prove that they’re not there to be Group F’s whipping boys. A defeat to both Dortmund and Sporting leaves Madrid the only team in their path to misery.
The visitors have shipped in eight goals and are yet to break their duck in the tournament. With that being said, Madrid will win, it’s just a matter of how much. The betting is too low for my fancy, though. The most reasonable bet would be to back Over 2.5 Goals at 1/8 – even that doesn’t offer much on the betting front.
GROUP G
Club Brugge 33/10 | Draw 5/2 | Porto 8/10
Rooted firmly to the bottom of Group G, Club Brugge will have a point to prove against Porto, who are a place and a point above them. However, the Belgian side are far from the level of Porto. Club Brugge are putting every team on form and seem destined for the exit. A 3-0 loss followed by a 4-0 trouncing will leave Porto licking their lips at the trip to the Jan Breydel Stadium.
After the Dragons suffered a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City, they picked up the pieces and showed no remorse to Nacional in the domestic league, winning 4-0 before the international break. Back the away win at a decent price of 8/10.
Leicester City 17/20 | Draw 47/20 | FC Copenhagen 32/10
Onto Leicester City, who have been flying high in the Champions League. The Foxes recorded two straight wins in the competition, which sees them on top of Group G. Their Premier League form has played no part in their Champions League run. After a 4-1 hammering against Manchester United, Leicester bounced back strongly to beat FC Porto.
Copenhagen come off the back of a resounding 4-0 victory against basement-dwellers, Club Brugge, in the Champions League. The Team of the City were then held 0-0 by Viborg in the Danish Superliga. Leicester have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the group and should do the same here – no matter what happens on the weekend against Chelsea. The home Win To Nil is priced up at 31/20 and is certainly worth a punt. For the punters who are not risk-takers, play it safe and back them on the straight win.
GROUP H
Lyon 17/4 | Draw 26/10 | Juventus 13/20
French giants, Lyon, face their toughest challenge yet when they host five-time defending Italian Serie A champions, Juventus. Lyon were put to bed in the 53rd minute in their clash against Sevilla, conceding through some sloppy defending. When you mention “sloppy defending”, the last team you think of is Juventus.
The Old Lady have gone four games in all competitions – at the time of writing – without shipping in a goal. In those four games, the Bianconeri have found the back of the net 12 times. Alexandre Lacazette has returned to training for Lyon, and it will take somebody of his class to break down the Juve backline. Personally, I don’t see it happening. Juventus to Win To Nil is my prediction at a valuable 29/20.
Dinamo Zagreb 52/10 | Draw 32/10 | Sevilla 5/10
Dinamo Zagreb, like Legia Warsaw and Club Brugge, have been the Champions League’s whipping boys. Zagreb have been dismal so far, losing 3-0 and 4-0 consecutively. This side is far from the Dinamo Zagreb that we saw last season, beating Arsenal 2-1.
Sevilla have got their Champions League campaign off to a great start. They managed to earn a point at Juventus, before humbling Lyon to a 1-0 defeat. Back-to-back clean sheets will certainly put a smile on Jorge Sampaoli’s face. Three in a row would be even better! However, the safest option is a straight Sevilla win at 5/10.
TREBLE @ 6/1
Dortmund Win 21/20
Leicester Win 17/20
Porto Win 8/10
Written by Jesse Nagel @Hollywoodbets
