This week sees the final round of Champions League games, with many sides still bidding to qualify for the last 16. As usual at this stage, there are more than a few dead rubber games with sides who are already though meeting teams who are already out. Despite that, there’s more than enough big crunch games to keep you entertained this week, including a few involving English sides.
Liverpool and Manchester City are both struggling in their groups, and they need a win in their final game to ensure progression to the next round. Going out in the group stage would be a disaster for both of them, and they will both really want to avoid dropping into the Europa League. Elsewhere Chelsea face Sporting CP having already won their group, while already-qualified Arsenal go to Galatasaray with a slim chance of topping their group. Here is our preview of the four English sides’ games this week, with betting tips for each.
Tuesday 9th December 2014
Liverpool v Basel (19:45) – Liverpool to win (8/11 with Bet365)
Liverpool kick things off on Tuesday night, with their must-win clash at home to Basel. The Swiss side sit second in their group, two points ahead of the Reds going into their final game. Anything other than a win will see Liverpool go out, so the pressure is really on them going into this game. Basel will come to play for a draw, and the hosts need to find a way around that.
This game will bring back memories of the Olympiakos win ten years ago for Liverpool fans, but Basel have their own heroics as well. They beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season, and they knocked Manchester United out at this stage in 2011. Despite that, Liverpool’s home advantage and recent good form should see them through. They’re favourites with the bookies, but still a worthwhile pick at odds of 8/11.
Galatasaray v Arsenal (19:45) – Arsenal to win to nil (16/5 with BetVictor)
These two have almost nothing to play for, and if it wasn’t for Arsenal’s win over Dortmund in the last game, this would be a complete dead rubber. As it stands, Arsenal can still top the group, but they need a favour from Anderlecht in their game against the Germans. The chances of Arsenal being able to take top spot ae slim, but Dortmund have been in rotten form lately in the Bundesliga, so who knows?
Even if they can’t top the group, Arsenal will still be out for a win. They will want to finish the group on a high, and carry on the recent momentum that started after that win over Dortmund. They’re facing a Galatasaray side who have lost four of their five games so far, and they’ve only managed to score three goals this campaign. Arsenal’s defence has been much improved of late, so they shouldn’t have too much trouble against a side who’ve struggled going forward. Back them to win to nil at the great price of 16/5.
Wednesday 10th December 2014
Chelsea v Sporting (19:45) – Draw (14/5 with Bet Victor)
On Wednesday night Premier League leaders Chelsea wrap up their campaign with a home game against Portuguese side Sporting. The Blues won their group by beating Schalke 5-0 in their last match, so expect a lot of rotation for this one as Jose Mourinho tries to juggle the busy festive fixture list. Many of the big stars will sit this one out, and we could see a few young guns getting a run out.
For Sporting, this game is much more important than that. Chelsea’s win in the last game gave the Portuguese side a chance to go second, which they took. They now have a two point lead over Schalke, and a draw here would put them through due to their superior head to head record over the Germans. A draw would suit both teams, as it would maintain Chelsea’s unbeaten record. While they’ll say they’re playing to win, with a weakened side and little to play for the draw seems the likely option here.
Roma v Manchester City (19:45) – Both teams to score (8/13 with Bet Victor)
Finally, City go to Roma knowing they need a result if they’re to qualify for the next round. These two sides and CSKA Moscow are all level on five points, with the Russians away to group leaders Bayern. CSKA really need a win to go through, and that’s unlikely to happen. Really, barring a massive shock, second place is between Roma and City.
And, this one is a lot more complicated than the simple win, lose or draw outcomes. A 0-0 draw wouldn’t be enough for City, but any score draw would take them through, as long as CSKA don’t win. A win for either side takes them through, but this is likely to be a fierce encounter. It’s hard to see Roma keeping City quiet all game given their recent form, with Sergio Aguero in fantastic fettle. You can’t really see him drawing a blank here, so a 0-0 is unlikely.
This game is on a knife edge, and we’re going to sit on the fence here, a rather more comfortable position than the knife edge! It’s difficult to pick a side to go through, so both teams to score is our tip. City are in sparkling form going forward, whilst being shaky at the back. Roma can take advantage of that, so back both teams to find the net.
Those are our tips for the final week of Champions League group stage games. If you are looking for a slightly longer odds bet, try the fourfold accumulator. These four selections together give you a 42/1 acca, which is worth a small stake for potentially big returns.