With the desperate wait for the football season to start continuing, there are a few crumbs of interest for you in the shape of the Champions League qualifiers. To spice things up a little for you, we have selected seven matches on Wednesday where we think both sides will hit the back of the net, including one match containing a British side.
- Istanbul Basaksehir v Club Brugge (8/11 with Bet365) – Istanbul Basaksehir have been making waves in Turkish football, finishing second in the league last season, and the next step on their journey is their maiden Champions League voyage. The Turkish club – who are owned by the government – have a number of quality players and this game will certainly be one to keep an eye on.
- Ajax v Nice (8/11 with Bet365) – There is no doubting the fact that these two sides would’ve rather avoided each other until the latter stages of the competition but this will be a treat for the fans. Both sides play an entertaining brand of football and we reckon there could be goals in this clash at the Amsterdam Arena.
- Rosenborg v Celtic (4/5 with Bet365) – Celtic were banging in the goals as they romped home to the SPL title last year and we think that they will be able to find the back of the net against Rosenborg. However, the home side are no pushovers and both keepers could be tested in this one. The first game ended 0-0 but this one won’t, that’s for sure!
- Ludogorets v Hapoel Be’er Sheva (5/6 with Bet365) – This is a match between two sides who look fairly evenly matched on paper although the Bulgarian outfit perhaps have a little more quality. However, Hapeol more than make up for that with a gutsy style of play which saw them nearly knock Celtic out of Europe last year.
- Rijeka v Salzburg (4/5 with Bet365) – Red Bull’s money has turned Salzburg into a powerhouse of Austrian football and they will be looking to get one over the Croatian champions as they head to Rijeka. However, despite the disparity in wealth, Rijeka may well fancy their chances given their performances over recent seasons.
- Young Boys v Dynamo Kiev (4/5 with Bet365) – These two sides again look fairly evenly matched and this one could be an entertaining game as Dynamo Kiev head to Bern. The Ukrainian outfit have a lot of pedigree having troubled plenty of sides in the eighties but that will count for nothing on Wednesday evening.
- Viktoria Plzen v Steaua Bucharest (4/5 with Bet365) – Steaua Bucharest are a club in turmoil, with the one time European Cup winners currently embroiled in a bitter legal dispute about who owns their naming rights. Against this backdrop they head to the Czech Republic and we think it will be a decent match with Denis Alibec – once of Inter Milan – lining up for the Romanian outfit.