The Champions League returns this week with some mouth watering ties and European dreams hanging in the balance. Celtic are underdogs once again at 7/1 with BetVictor to win away in Benfica following their 2-1 home win over Barcelona which means they are second in the group.
A win for Celtic would virtually put them through to the knock out round where anything can happen. Celtic are odds on at 1/3 with Bet365 to qualify out of the group along with Barcelona which would be a remarkable achievement that very few expected. They are also 14/1 with BetVictor to win the group ahead of Barcelona.
Manchester City also look a good bet to beat Real Madrid at home at 2/1 with Blue Square. The fact they romped to a 5-0 win against Aston Villa over the weekend means the side will be full of confidence and they could play some very aggressive football as they are virtually out of Europe thanks to a 2-2 draw against Ajax in their last group game.
Chelsea and Arsenal Betting-
Chelsea travel away to Juventus joint top of Group E with Shakhtar Donetsk on seven points. Chelsea are 16/5 with Bet365 to produce a victory which could put them top of the group with their final match to follow. Chelsea lost 2-1 away at West Brom over the weekend and they will be determined to produce a reaction.
Arsenal are in a relatively comfortable position as they welcome Montpellier to the Emirates. Arsenal are second in their group behind Schalke and they have already defeated Montpellier in the group stage with a 2-1 away win. A win would give them ten points and would mean they are virtually through to the knock out stage of the tournament.
Both sides are well placed to qualify to the next stage with Arsenal odds on at 1/8 with BetVictor to get out of the group and Chelsea also odds on at 4/11 with the same bookmaker.
Galatasaray v Manchester United Betting-
Manchester United were the first side out of the British teams to qualify through to the last 16. Sir Alex Ferguson is bound to make many changes for this match with Phil Jones likely to be included with the squad. United have won all of their matches so far and have an eight point advantage over their opponents. BetVictor offers a tempting 12/5 on a United victory.
United striker Javier Hernandez could find himself in the starting line up due to his performance against Braga in United’s last Champions League match and his recent Premier League form. He is 7/1 with Blue Square to score the first goal of the game if he does start in attack.
United are unlikely to play open and expansive football which means they’ll sit back, absorb any pressure and then try and hit Galatasaray on the counter attack. If United play in this way then they’ll be looking for a smash and grab style result with 1-0 priced at 10/1 with BetVictor.