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Champions League Acca – 19th, 20th October
After the return of the Premier League this past weekend, we now see the return of European action this week and that means we start off on Tuesday and Wednesday nights with the return of the Champions League.
There are a number of interesting matches to look forward to this week. Manchester City will get the ball rolling for the British teams left in the competition when they take on Club Brugge in one of the two early games on Wednesday.
However it is in the evening where there are a number of big games to enjoy including Ajax v Dortmund, Atletico Madrid v Liverpool, FC Porto v AC Milan and PSG v Red Bull Leipzig.
The following night sees Chelsea hosting Malmo in a game that the English team will be confident of winning, while Manchester United face a tricky night in prospect at Old Trafford against a young and vibrant Atalanta side.
Benfica and Bayern Munich also clash on the same night in a game between two sides with 100% winning records in their group. Barcelona face Dynamo Kyiv in the same group on the same night needing a victory in order to give themselves a chance of getting back into contention in this group.
With this being the first of two matches between opponents back to back, these middle two dates can make or break a teams chances of qualifying for the next phase of the competition, so these are important matches and I’ve picked four of the best for my accumulator below.
Both of these two teams have won their opening two games against Besiktas and Sporting, with Ajax in particular impressive away from home against Sporting earning a 5-1 win in that game. However, Dortmund are an experienced team in Europe now and their team features exciting young talents like Erling Haaland, Donyell Malen, Jude Bellingham and Giovanni Reyna. Ajax have their own emerging stars too but both have slipped up domestically of late and I think that given their positive starts, these two teams look very well matched and as such, I think a draw is the most likely outcome here.
Atletico Madrid v Liverpool – Home Win
It is generally rare that I back Liverpool to lose any game and having started this competition with two wins against AC Milan and FC Porto, they deservedly top this tough group. Atletico’s last gasp win over Milan last time out moved them second in the group and in terms of form, Liverpool would be the pick. However the Reds have a miserable recent record against teams from Madrid, with one draw and four defeats in their last five games against Real and Atletico. I have a sneaky feeling Diego Simeone’s men will hit the Reds on the counter and earn a narrow victory here just as they did in the competition’s knockout phase a couple of years ago.
Bet Analysis: Wednesday 20th October
Chelsea v Malmo – Home Win
Having narrowly been beaten by Juventus last time out in this competition, Chelsea now come into this game needing two solid performances and six points against the Swedish side. Malmo are yet to score a goal in the competition and have shipped seven in their two games so far against Juventus and Zenit. I can’t see that record improving any here and I am expecting Chelsea to not only win this game, but win it in a very comfortable fashion and by a fair few goals too. Malmo’s best chance of an upset in this game will come at home in a couple of weeks time as I think they are on a hiding to nothing at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Manchester United v Atalanta – Draw
Group F always looked a tricky one and so it has proved so far for Manchester United. A defeat by Young Boys was followed by a somewhat fortunate and last gasp win over Villarreal in their last game. Even so, they still remain third in the group and are taking on an Atalanta side that have shown they are very dangerous away from home over the last few years. United have had a few issues in recent games and the pressure is building on them to start to produce big results, but Atalanta showed against Liverpool last season in the group stages, they don’t fear any team at home or on the road. This could be another tough night for United and I think they will do well to come away with a point from this one as I feel their best chance of beating Atalanta is likely to be in Italy.
Author: Dean Wyatt
Dean Wyatt is the founder and editor here at Acca Nation. He’s been betting sports for over 20 years and is a profitable sports trader on the exchanges.
European action this week and that means we start off on Tuesday and Wednesday nights with the return of the Champions League.
