Football commentator Kieran Burke fires through the pick of Tuesday’s league-phase matches in the Champions League.
Tuesday’s Champions League ACCA
- Lens to win (v Sporting)
- Arsenal -1 (v Lille)
- Atletico Madrid to win (v Man United)
- Barcelona -1 (v Galatasary)
- Inter to win & BTTS (v Club Brugge)
- Odds: 29.72/1
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Lens v Sporting, Tue, 17:45
A meeting of two sides who got off to winning starts on MD1. Lens scored TWO stoppage-time goals to win in Prague against Slavia, while Sporting had to come from behind at home to Galatasaray.
Both teams enjoyed domestic victories at the weekend and will be feeling good about their chances going into this one. Sporting’s away record in the competition is slightly off-putting, which means I probably favour the home side ever so slightly more.
Neither outfit is overly fond of a clean sheet, so we could be in for a lively encounter in this early kick-off.
Verdict: Lens (29/20)
Best Bet: BTTS & Over 2.5 goals (3/4 – Two-leg bet builder)
Arsenal v Lille, Tue, 20:00
Arsenal had to work hard for victory against Leeds on Saturday, but the Gunners did well to put their Brighton horror show from before the international break behind them.
Arsenal continued their impressive record in the UEFA Champions League league phase with a victory over Napoli on matchday one, extending their winning streak in this stage of the competition to 13 games. The Gunners have made a habit of delivering in the league phase, losing just twice in their last 31 group or league phase fixtures (W25, D4), and will be confident of maintaining that momentum at home.
Lille, meanwhile, have work to do after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Real Betis in their opening fixture. Their defensive shortcomings were exposed in that encounter, and another vulnerable display could leave them with a difficult task against an Arsenal side that has consistently delivered at this stage of the competition.
Verdict: Arsenal (1/4)
Best Bet: Arsenal -1 (4/6)
Atlético Madrid v Manchester United, Tue, 20:00
It only took 20 minutes for the Old Trafford cheers to turn to boos on Saturday as a lackluster United struggled against the Premier League’s bottom side, Tottenham. Things are unlikely to get any easier for the now under-pressure United boss, Michael Carrick, as the Red Devils travel to the atmospheric Metropolitano Stadium.
The hosts often struggle against English sides, as seen on MD1 versus Liverpool, but they’ll smell blood in the water as a low-on-confidence United come to town. Diego Simeone’s men have won nine of their last 11 UCL group stage/league phase games (L2) at home and come into this game having secured a fourth successive La Liga win against Alavés on Saturday.
Verdict: Atletico Madrid (10/11)
Galatasaray v Barcelona, Tue, 20:00
It’s 30th versus third in the UCL as Galatasaray hosts one of the competition favourites, Barcelona. The Turkish team’s defeat to Sporting was their seventh UCL loss from their last 13 matches in the competition, while Barcelona thrashed Feyenoord 5-1 on MD1.
With Barcelona running riot in Spain this season, fears of a similar scoreline will be high for the hosts here.
Verdict: Barcelona (2/7)
Best Bet: Barcelona -1 (13/20)
Inter v Club Brugge, Tue, 20:00
A meeting of two teams that are flying domestically but need the points after suffering defeats on the opening night of this competition. Inter were narrowly beaten by Real Madrid, while Brugge came out on the wrong end of a five-goal thriller with Aston Villa.
Inter have been hammering in the goals since then, including putting three past Parma to go top of Serie A at the weekend, and while Brugge are second in the Belgian Pro League, their defensive record in Europe is shambolic.
Verdict: Inter Milan (1/4)
Best Bet: Inter Milan win & BTTS (7/5)
Tuesday’s Champions League Tips
- Lens to win (v Sporting)
- Arsenal -1 (v Lille)
- Atletico Madrid to win (v Man United)
- Barcelona -1 (v Galatasary)
- Inter to win & BTTS (v Club Brugge)
- Odds: 29.72/1
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