For the first time in it’s 70 year history, the Champions League will see 18 games kick off at the same time to decide who qualifies automatically, goes through to the knock-out rounds or gets eliminated from the tournament. With only a few games with nothing but pride to play for, we are in for a tense and exciting night where everything can change in a second. I’ve found three picks that on paper look high value and I’m combining them into an accumulator at 3.20.
Pick 1
My first pick should come as no surprise to those who watched arguably the game of the tournament so far as Barcelona beat Benfica 5-4. In a chaotic match with goals from the start to literally the last, the visitors came out on top and will be thankful they didn’t lose after being 4-2 down in the 68th minute. Barca are 2nd in the table with progression confirmed however they can’t afford to rest as they can slip down the table meaning a potential tougher opponent in the next round.
Atalanta visit the Camp Nou knowing their current league position is under threat. The Italian side are 7th with 14 points Celtic are 18th place with 12 points, showing the tight nature of this new format. Atalanta will want to get points on the board and avoid defeat ensuring safety to the knockout phase. They should be able to fashion chances against Barcelona, Atalanta have scored the third most goals in the Champions League this season with 18 in seven games, Barcelona are top with 26 goals unsurprisingly. My first pick for this game is ‘Over 2.5 Match Goals’ at 1.36.
Pick 2
My second pick is a player to score who has been in unstoppable form this season as he is the Portuguese league’s top scorer and the joint fifth top scorer in the Champions League. It’s Viktor Gyokores who makes up the second pick of my treble at 1.83. The Swedish striker has been in the form of his life and is attracting attention from big clubs all over Europe including Man Utd who are interesting in reuniting former Sporting manager Ruben Amorim with the goal scorer. Gyokeres has scored 28 combined goals in the Champions League and Primeira Liga including an infamous hattrick against Man City as the Portuguese side thrashed Guardiola’s side 4-1.
After a strong start to the competition, Amorim left for Man Utd which led to a dip in form for Sporting Lisbon who are 23rd in the table and needing a win. They face Bologna at home, the Italian side are already out of the Champions League with just five points. Before a blank on the weekend, Gyokeres had scored in five games in a row and I expect him to play the full 90 in this must win game for the Portuguese team.
Pick 3
My final pick sees an exciting all British affair at Villa Park as Unai Emery’s side host Celtic. I’m backing ‘Both Teams to Receive 1+ Card’ at generous odds of 1.30. Aston Villa are one spot away from automatic qualification whereas Celtic are 10 places away but very importantly are only one point apart from The Villans. This game is huge and the atmosphere will be dialled up to the max.
Cards is a stand out pick for me in a game with such a lot of on the line. In the Premier League, Villa receive an average of 2.17 cards a game and commit the 7th most fouls in the league on average per game with 11.74. Celtic average 1.04 cards received a game however their Champions League stats are: 2,3,1,0,1,2,2.
So, those are my three Champions League picks that accumulate to 3.20 odds. We are in for an truly entertaining and special night on Wednesday!