The first round of fixtures in the 2016/17 Champions League were very entertaining. There were comebacks, thrashings and upsets over the first two nights of action and we are in line for more of the same this week. As ever, we are aiming to make the most of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday by putting together three different accas below. Here’s hoping for a win no matter what level of risk you are comfortable taking.
Easy Winner – evens (Sky Bet)
- Sporting to beat Legia Warsaw (1/4) – Whereas Sporting were moments away from getting a point against Real Madrid in Matchday One, Legia Warsaw were battered 6-0 at home. That shows the gulf in quality between these two teams.
- Over 1.5 goals in Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid (1/6) – Real Madrid’s visit to Germany to take on Dortmund is one of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the entire group stage. Both teams are capable of irresistible football when at full flow and the goals should flow at the Westfalenstadion.
- PSG to beat Ludogorets (4/11) – With Unai Emery in charge, PSG have undoubtedly improved their chances of winning the Champions League. Wednesday’s game against Ludogorets is a great chance to prove they’ve got the bottle to win tough games outside of Paris.
Medium Risk – 9/2 (BetVictor)
- Napoli to beat Benfica (11/20) – Napoli may have lost their main striker to Juventus but they showed against Dynamo Kiev that they’ve got the heart and the quality to make an impact in this season’s Champions League. Back at home in Italy, Napoli should have far too much for Benfica.
- Sevilla to beat Lyon (4/7) – Sevilla may have won the Europa League three years in a row but they want to step up and have an impact on the Champions League. If they are to progress out of the group stage they’ll have to beat a decent Lyon team but with home advantage, that is within Sevilla’s capabilities.
- Leicester to beat Porto (11/10) – Leicester had a brilliant result in their first Champions League match and can follow their 3-0 win over Club Brugge with a victory at home to Porto. Porto will be a tougher challenge but Claudio Ranieri has multiple options in his squad and is experienced enough to juggle European football with domestic action.
Long Shot – 57/1 (Bet365)
- Borussia Dortmund to beat Real Madrid and both teams to score (3/1) – Dortmund have been in stunning form since the start of the season. They’ve got their toughest match so far on Tuesday when Real Madrid visit but they could just ride their form to a massive win in an entertaining match.
- Monaco to beat Bayer Leverkusen and both teams to score (4/1) – Monaco look a side who could make it to the latter stages of the Champions League. They should beat Leverkusen at home but will find it tough to keep a clean sheet.
- Barcelona to beat Borussia Monchengladbach and both teams to score (15/8) – Barcelona should secure their second win of the group stage but will be pushed very hard by this attacking Gladbach side.