The Champions League returns this week, with some top sides looking to book a place in the last 16. There’s everything still to play for as far as the four English sides are concerned. Will they all make it through, or will some tumble in to the Europa League? There are just two group games left for them to seal their fate.
Tottenham are the side most at risk of falling into the second tier competition. They’re in action on Tuesday, and they need a win. The other three are doing well, and they could all secure their future in the competition with a result here. Ahead of the Champions League clashes, we’ve looked at the four games involving Premier League sides and picked out a betting tip on each.
Tuesday 22nd November 2016
Leicester v Club Brugge (19:45) – Leicester to win to nil (13/10 with BetVictor)
Champions Leicester have been fantastic in Europe this term, that’s distracted attention away from their awful run of form in the Premier League. The Foxes know a point can take them through, but they’ll be aiming for more. They’ve got a great chance of topping this group, but they have to hold off the challenge of Porto to do that. A win here keeps them top ahead of a tricky trip to Portugal in the final match of the group. This will also be the last European game here until February or March, so the players will want to sign off with a good result. They’ve needed European success to keep the fans happy so far.
Club Brugge have offered very little in this group so far, and they’ve struggled to make an impact. They were easily dispatched by Leicester in Belgium on the opening night. They did give Porto a little more trouble in the last two games, but it’s hard to see them doing much at the King Power. The Foxes are yet to concede in this competition so far, and we’re backing that to continue on Tuesday night. We see the Premier League champions taking all three points and maintaining that strong defensive record. A home win to nil is 13/10 with BetVictor.
Monaco v Tottenham (19:45) – Monaco to win (6/4 with Sky Bet)
Tottenham find themselves third in their group after losing to Bayer Leverkusen last time out. They head to Monaco this week knowing that a win is vital to their hopes of staying in this competition. However, recent form suggests that Mauricio Pochettino’s men will struggle in this trip. They’re up against a team who are playing well in Ligue 1, and one who look set to top this group, From the opening match, Monaco have looked like the strongest side in this group. A win at home this week will seal that.
Spurs come here having failed to score in five of their last seven in the Champions League. They’ve drawn blanks home and away to Leverkusen, while they suffered a defeat to Monaco at Wembley. That win is part of a seven match unbeaten run for the French side, who come into this game above PSG in the table. We can see Tottenham’s European ambitions taking a major blow in this game. The Stade Louis II is a tough place to go, and we’re backing a defeat for the visitors. Despite being top of the group, Monaco are 6/4 here with Sky Bet.
Wednesday 23rd November 2016
Arsenal v PSG (19:45) – Draw (12/5 with Bet365)
While Arsenal are now through to the next round, they are in the middle of a fight for top spot with PSG. These two are locked on 10 points at the top, nine points clear of third place. This was always going to be an easy group for the two big guns, but one of them will enter the last 16 after finishing second. The Gunners are desperately looking to avoid that fate again, and they have a great chance to do that after their 1-1 draw in Paris. Can they follow that up with a positive result here?
PSG know they need to win in order to take back control heading in to the final day. While they’re top seeds here, the Gunners shouldn’t have any fear. The French champions are under-performing domestically, and they’ve not been stellar in this group. The big question is, do Arsenal have the mentality to win a big game like this? It’s a big push, especially after an international break and a trip to Old Trafford. They only really need a draw against the French champions, and we think these two evenly matched teams will share the points. A draw here is 12/5 with Bet365.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Man City (19:45) – City to win (5/6 with Betfair)
This could have been a big fight for a place in the last 16. That was until Gladbach slipped up at home to Celtic, and City beat Barcelona. Those results put Pep Guardiola’s men on the verge of the next round. A win here would do the trick, and it would keep them in the hunt for top spot. Can City take all three points when they head to Germany? Looking back at the results here in this group, it’s easy to make the case for an away victory.
Not only did City win here last season, but they’ve now beaten Gladbach in three consecutive games. Their first group stage meeting was a 4-0 home win in Manchester. Since then, Gladbach have lost to Barca here and have drawn with an average Celtic side. That last result really hurt them, and it could even see them miss out on a spot in the Europa League. That would have been the minimum they expected a few weeks ago. While City aren’t in the best form, they’ll be buoyed by their victory against Barca. We’re backing them to add to their winning run against Gladbach, so we’re tipping an away win at 5/6 with Betfair.