Last time out on Sunday, we had a decent day at the office but Chelsea and Tottenham underwhelmed us with a goalless draw. Three out of five straight wins came through while two out of five goal markets played out correctly.
Bruno Fernandes and Lionel Messi also got on the score-sheet as we predicted but we did expect better from that day.
Anyways, it’s a new month now and there’s no better way to start this off with the Champions League. Match-day five of the group stage is here already and we have some interesting ties lying in wait.
We’ll do what we normally do with the best picks from today’s action.
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich Prediction
Very few fans would have predicted that Bayern Munich’s upcoming game against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday would be a dead rubber for the Bundesliga giants. But thanks to their excellent record in the Champions League this campaign that saw them secure wins in each of their four matches, the Bavarians have already secured their place at the top of Group A.
It is a completely different story for their midweek opponents, however, as Atletico Madrid fight to keep their hopes of qualifying to the next stage alive. The Spanish giants are currently second in the group table with five points on the board, but a defeat on Tuesday could allow third-placed Lokomotiv Moscow to potentially overtake them, should the Russians beat Red Bull Salzburg.
It could ultimately lead to a final match day showdown where it will be imperative for Atletico to seal a point against Salzburg. However, Diego Simeone’s men could avoid such a scenario with a win over Bayern Munich this midweek although that still remains unlikely. The hosts will be happy with a draw as well, since Los Colchoneros do have a lead against Lokomotiv in regards to head to head record in the group.
Both Teams Not to Score
Probably not what you’ll expect to see but Atletico have failed to score much of late. In the Champions League, they have only one goal in their last two games. Their last two league wins have been 1-0 results as well. Hence, we’re tipping both teams not to score. 1xbet has 2.13 odds, Betway has 2.17 and Bet9ja have 2.26 odds.
Bayern Munich Win or Draw
Bayern Munich already won the first leg by a 4-0 score-line and we can see them as favorites in this one as well. They’ve not been their usual selves of late but we can see them getting a draw at least from this one. Bet9ja has 1.79, Betway has 1.83 and 1xbet has 1.89 odds.
Straight Wins
Manchester City already beat Porto 3-1 in the first game of the Champions League this term. The Citizens are also in good spirits after their 5-0 win over Burnley last weekend. Furthermore, they have a 100% record in the Champions League so far and we can see them maintain that feat today. Betway have 1.58 odds, Bet9ja have 1.58 and 1xbet have 1.61.
Real Madrid take on Shakhtar Donetsk in what is a somewhat unpredictable clash. Shakhtar claimed a shock 3-2 win in the first leg of this game and Real Madrid have been inconsistent for literally all of this season. However, they lost 2-1 at Alaves this weekend and they’ll be fired up to get back to winning ways especially with the return of Benzema to the side. Betway have 1.47 odds, Bet9ja have 1.46 and 1xbet have 1.48.
Atalanta take on whooping boys of Group D Midtjylland in their fourth game of the campaign. The Danish side have lost all their four games in the Champions League already and we can’t see them claiming a win today. Their opponents are big favorites to condemn them to yet another loss today. Betway have 1.20 odds, Bet9ja have 1.18 and 1xbet have 1.22.
Inter Milan are currently bottom of their Champions League group and failure to win Borussia Monchengladbach today will see them definitely off to the Europa League or even worse. The German side might be first on the standings but Inter have the required quality to claim a big win that gives them hope of qualification to the round of 16. Betway have 2.28 odds, Bet9ja have 2.32 and 1xbet have 2.35.
Over 2.5 Goals
We already tipped Man City to win this one and we can see the game bringing a good number of goals to go with as well. We expect the over 2.5 tip to come through in this fixture. Betway have 1.72 odds, Bet9ja have 1.67 and 1xbet have 1.77.
Liverpool won by a solitary goal (own goal) when they last met Ajax in the first UCL game of the season this term. We expect a different match this time around given that the Reds have been inconsistent of late and have defensive issues to deal it. Ajax might be happy to have a go at Liverpool and it could lead to a high-scoring affair at Anfield. Betway have 1.39 odds, Bet9ja have 1.38 and 1xbet have 1.44.
As earlier said, Midtjylland have not been able to match any of their opponents in group D and we can see a game where Atalanta wins with a good number of goals to go with. Betway have 1.32 odds, Bet9ja have 1.28 and 1xbet have 1.34.
Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow played out to a four-goal thriller when both sides met for the start of the competition. We still can’t point at a clear winner for this one but we expect to see a decent number of goals on display once again. Betway have 1.55 odds, Bet9ja have 1.54 and 1xbet have 1.61.
Anytime Goal-Scorer
Lukaku
The big Belgian was rested for his side’s game against Sassuolo at the weekend where they won 3-0. He will come into this game fully rested and we know he’ll be fired up to get at least a goal or two today and prove to be a player Inter can depend on now that they need his goals more than ever. Betway have 2.10 odds, Bet9ja have 2.25.
Mahrez
Fresh from scoring his hatrick against Burnley at the weekend, the Algerian forward is in good form at the moment and another start could see him even hungry for more goals and he’ll be a good shout to get on the score-sheet today. Betway have 3.15 odds, Bet9ja have 3.25.
Benzema
The Frenchman has missed his side’s last two games and they did win Inter without him but their struggles came back to light against Alaves. With the experienced striker back in the lineup, he will be eager to get in the goals and calm the tension surrounding Zidane and Real Madrid at the moment. Betway have 1.81 odds, Bet9ja have 1.80.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
