Europe’s elite club competition is back and it usually promises two things: goals and favourites to win. Let’s have a look at this week’s fixtures.
Barcelona v Bayern – Bayern win/draw
It’s the first time the two sides meet since that famous 8-2 victory of Bayern over the Blaugrana. It’s Barca’s first Champions League game without Lionel Messi at the club since 2004. Bayern have won 5 of their last 6 matches against Barca and 19 of their last 21 Champions League games.
Young Boys v Man Utd – Man Utd over 1.5 goals
Young Boys are without five players for their clash against Manchester United. The Red Devils arrive in Bern in Cristiano Ronaldo fever and should continue on this wave. United last seven games in Champions League all had over 2.5 goals.
Suggested Bet: Man Utd over 1.5
Sevilla v Salzburg – Over 1.5 goals
There have been over 2.5 goals in Sevilla’s last 6 games in the Champions League and over 2.5 goals in 9/10 of Salzburg’s last Champions League games. Salzburg started the campaign with seven wins, scoring 19 goals, while Sevilla score five times in three games.
Chelsea v Zenit – Chelsea win
Zenit enter the game on the back of an incredible 20-game unbeaten run in all competitions but have lost 6/7 Champions League games. The defending champions are undefeated in 12/13 UCL games and will surely want to start with a win at home.
Villarreal v Atalanta – Over 1.5 goals
Both teams haven’t had great starts into their domestic campaigns, with Villarreal starting with 3 draws and Atalanta collecting just 4 points from their first three games. This game should’ve goals with Villarreal seeing 6/8 BTTS and 4/5.
Malmo v Juventus – Over 1.5 goals
Juventus have had a horrible start to the campaign, collecting just one point from their first three games. The quality in their squad should be enough to beat Swedish side Malmo but this is another game that shouts goals. 5/7 Malmo games and 9/10 Juve games had over 2.5 goals.
Kyiv v Benfica – Benfica win/draw
Kyiv have started the season with 19/21 points, scoring 22 in just 7 games but they have several attacking players sidelined for this one. Benfica started the campaign with 5 wins from 5 and have only conceded twice in the league so far.
Suggested Bet: Benfica win/draw
Sheriff v Shakhtar – Shakhtar win/draw
Sheriff were one of the surprises in the qualification, eliminating Dinamo. However, Shakhtar usually know how to beat teams when they are the favourites. They started the Ukraine league with 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. They were unbeaten against Inter and Real Madrid last season and can’t afford to drop points in Moldova.
Suggested Bet: Shakhtar win/draw
Besiktas v Dortmund – Over 1.5 goals
Dortmund’s games are among the most entertaining in Europe this season, because they promise goals. Their last 7 games all had over 2.5 goals, their last 5 in the Champions League too. Besiktas also had over 2.5 goals in their last 4 Champions League games.
Inter v Real – Over 1.5 goals
Head-to-head stats are on Real Madrid’s side, with Los Blancos winning their last three games against Inter. This is another game that shouts goals, with 9/10 of Inter’s and 5/7 of Real’s event games having over 2.5 goals.
Man City v Leipzig – City to win
Leipzig are not the same this campaign after losing their coach, their best defender and their central midfielder to Bayern Munich. The Bavarians beat Leipzig 4-1 on the weekend, while Manchester City have found their rhythm after their opening defeat to Spurs, winning their last three games, scoring 11 times.
Suggested Bet: Man City to win
Brugge v PSG – PSG over 1.5 goals
We could see the MNM attacking trio for a first time in this game, with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe expected to start together. PSG have won their last 5 games and 4/5 had over 2.5 goals. Brugge had 8/10 games with over 2.5 goals and conceded 6 times to Gent before the international break.
Liverpool v Milan – Over 1.5 goals
The Reds have started the campaign with 3 wins and 1 draw, scoring 9 goals in 4 games, while Milan are one of three Seria A teams to have won their first 3 games. All 4 previous contents in the Champions League had at least 4 goals, with Liverpool winning 3 of them.