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Last week was not out best effort
There’s no point denying it: last week we failed miserably. Only one of our four selections came in, with three losing. But how were we supposed to know Borussia Dortmund would capitulate? How should we have known that Arsenal wouldn’t score away from home? Actually, that one we could have predicted.
But Group Bets are a team effort. We win together and we lose together. Now, we look ahead to this week’s Champions League fixtures. This is when the competition really gets interesting, with the best of the best coming up against each other. It won’t be easy, but we have a quiet confidence about these matches.
Dark Horse: Wayne – BTTS in Ajax vs Juventus
While Juventus are favourites for this tie, it will not be straightforward for the Bianconeri, who are missing some key players through injury and come up against an Ajax side who just knocked out Real Madrid, scoring three goals at the Bernabeu. The Eredivisie leaders have already scored 100 goals this season, and should bag at least one against Juve, making both teams to score a pretty sound bet.
The Stat Man: Reuben – Over 2.5 goals in in Liverpool vs Porto
Another tie in which there is an obvious favourite, but the underdogs should not necessarily be underestimated – Porto have a strong defensive unit and pace on the break in Yacine Brahimi. They could get thrashed, but they could easily surprise a few people. Either way, I reckon there will be goals, so I’m placing my bet on over 2.5 goals in the first leg of this quarter-final.
Captain Obvious: Si: Manchester City to beat Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will be well up for their first ever European tie at their new stadium, but I’m backing Manchester City to spoil the party. The Premier League champions just have too much quality for Spurs, especially in wide areas, where Leroy Sané should cause all sorts of problems for the out-of-form Kieran Trippier.
Glory Hunter: Matt – Barcelona to beat Manchester United
Ole might be at the wheel, but he’s driving a hatchback compared to Barcelona’s super car. Any team will struggle against Lionel Messi, let alone a team with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones at the back. United managed to overcome Paris Saint-Germain with a bit of fortune, but Barcelona is likely to be a step too far in Solskjaer’s Old Trafford revolution.
