Another set of Europe’s elites is set to compete in the return of the UEL today with most teams adequately rested for the task ahead.
All the teams involved will be looking to secure great points in their bid to qualify for the next round of fixtures. We have selected the best predictions for our readers here today.
Straight Wins.
Manchester United was humbled at the weekend as their city rivals, Man City, brushed them aside easily. Manchester United would be looking to return to winning ways as his side face their third and final opponents in the UEL group stage. The obvious place to start with these predictions is backing Man United to win but, quite frankly Sure, their loss to Man City was a bad one before that they’d won three away games on the spin and, notably, hadn’t conceded in any of them. Meanwhile, Omonia Nicosia has lost two of its last five home games and has notably failed to score in either of those games. Combining those stats with the clear difference in quality between the squads and United running out winners with their goal intact feels highly plausible. Bet9ja have 1.24 odds, Paripesa have 1.26 odds and 1xBet have 1.26 odds.
This is a preview of the difficult group involving Fenerbahce and AEK Larnaca. The former picked up a 2-2 draw with Rennes in the previous round while AEK Larnaca managed a close 1-0 success over Dynamo Kyiv in the last match. Fenerbahce has been in excellent form over the last few weeks and manager Jorge Jesus has once again put the team back in frame for doing well in the European competitions. AEK Larnaca, however, is likely to object big time. This should an easy win for this Fenerbahçe side who has found consistent form in the past few weeks. Bet9ja have 1.38 odds, Paripesa have 1.42 odds and 1xBet have 1.42 odds.
Roma’s unexpected defeat in the first round of the Europa League against Ludogorets did not disturb the team from Rome. In the next round, they easily defeated HJK 3-0, and now the game against the toughest rival, Spanish Betis, expecting them. Roma was also successful in the Serie A derby, beating Inter 2-1 in Milan. Due to their chase of the first spot and a direct entry into the 1/8 finals, Roma regards this game highly. They will require at least 4 points in direct matches against Betis to achieve that. Roma is gradually putting together its strongest starting lineup, and Mourinho has a lot fewer issues with injured players. Although Roma will likely receive support from their fervent fans to secure the crucial three points despite Betis’ superior technical ability. Bet9ja have 1.80 odds, Paripesa have 1.85 odds and 1xBet have 1.85 odds.
In a group alongside Midtjylland and Feyenoord, all 4 sides have won 1 and lost 1 of their opening 2 league fixtures. Sturm claimed a 1:0 win at home to Danish Super Liga outfit Midtjylland but suffered a 6:0 hammering on match-day 2 against Eredivisie Feyenoord. Lazio will undoubtedly do better than they did in Denmark last month given their recent domestic 4:0 victories over Cremonese and Lazio and current third-place ranking in Serie A. Lazio will surely improve from their last away showing in this competition knowing that they cannot afford to take Sturm as lightly as they did Midtjylland. In the end, this game should be close, but we anticipate that Lazio’s depth will be crucial edging them on to take all three points. Bet9ja have 1.70 odds, Paripesa have 1.74 odds and 1xBet have 1.74 odds.
Over 2.5
Rennes picked up the first victory in three matches after beating Strasbourg 3-1 away from home as a team capitalized on the hosts being reduced to 10 men after just 28 minutes. Dynamo Kyiv picked up a 1-0 victory over Minai in the domestic league ahead of this match. Dynamo Kyiv has witnessed three consecutive games with a 1-0 score, but the Ukrainian outfit is not without the offensive threat that will worry Rennes. The French outfit has been able to pick up one clean sheet in the last five matches in all competitions and this has been partly responsible for over figures being witnessed in four out of the last five games. Bet9ja have 1.45 odds, Paripesa have 1.46 odds and 1xBet have 1.46 odds.
Arsenal is brilliant this season. They have eight wins and only one loss in all competitions. Last weekend, Arsenal won 3-1 at home against Tottenham. The home side dominated as they had 65% ball possession and 22 shots on the goal, so it is no wonder Mikel Arteta’s team secured all three points. Bodo/Glimt are not as impressive as in previous seasons, so they are 15 points behind the league leader in the Norwegian national league. Bodo/Glimt won only two of the last six matches. In the previous game, they won 4-1 on the road against Lillestrom. Both sides have shown to have good attacking qualities and we expect an over 2.5 goal outcome. Bet9ja have 1.23 odds, Paripesa have 1.25 odds and 1xBet have 1.25 odds.
Fenerbahce will look to retain the top position in Group B when they take on AEK Larnaca at Ulker Stadyumu. Fenerbahce showed character in a 2-2 draw with Rennes, with the team coming from two goals behind to share the spoils with the Ligue 1 outfit, and they are surely capable of making life difficult for AEK Larnaca on home soil. In comparison with the second group game, experienced forward Joshua King has joined Peres and Sangare in the recovery room. The volume of goals in this match is likely to be much higher with Fenerbahce struggling on this front with just one clean sheet in the last five European matches. The team is likely to be given a tough match by AEK Larnaca, who have been doing relatively well of late. Bet9ja have 1.64 odds, Paripesa have 1.78 odds and 1xBet have 1.78 odds.
Freiburg is expectedly dominating the group with 2 wins from 2 and a goal difference of 4 goals (5-1) at the moment. Nantes started with the right plot but were handed a cruel and shocking 3-0 defeat at the hands of Qarabag away from home. This trip to Germany will be another test of patience for the Ligue 1 side which has not been doing well domestically too. Nantes have consistently seen high-scoring games due to the lack of defensive stability this year. The Ligue 1 side has not seen less than 2 goals in 6 of their last 8 games in France as well as in Europe. If Qarabag can put three past this squad, Freiburg could demolish them on any given day honestly. Our final prediction would be Freiburg over 2.5 goals. Bet9ja have 1.76 odds, Paripesa have 1.87 odds and 1xBet have 1.87 odds.
Anytime Goalscorers
Ronaldo
There has been a lot of talk about Ronaldo all season long and that has hit new heights after the Manchester derby with CR7 being left on the bench. The Portuguese are almost guaranteed to come into the team here though and when he plays, he scores. We expect him to score here too. Bet9ja have 1.70 odds while Paripesa have 1.61 odds.
Dybala
Paulo Dybala has scored Roma‘s first goal in each of his last three appearances, with four of his five strikes for his new team coming before the break. The Argentine forward has scored five goals for Roma this season with one goal in their last win in the competition. He has been integral to his side’s recent victories and would be the main man here today. Bet9ja have 2.50 odds while Paripesa have 2.10 odds.
Cody Gakpo
The Dutch forward has followed yet another incredible season with him involved in over 10 G/A this season already. He has only a goal this season in the tournament with the striker already scoring eight goals in the league this season. His opponents today would have a hard time containing him and we are betting on him to score. Bet9ja have 2.50 odds while Paripesa have 2.20 odds.
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus is yet to get off the mark in the UEL, but considering his four UEFA Champions League goals for Manchester City came at home last season, he may fancy his chances of opening his account here. He has already scored in consecutive fixtures before and after the international break and today’s opponents are going to have a tough time holding him down. Bet9ja have 1.74 odds while Paripesa have 1.72 odds.
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.
