So, what matches is everyone looking at?
Markie's got two picks that I agree with in Lyon -0.5 and Barcelona +0.5.
Lyon are against Dynamo Kiev who were thrashed at home by Steau 4-1. Then beaten by Madrid 5-1. They've got an injury to their first team keeper. Lyon also have an injury to their first team goalkeeper, but they are an established Champions league team with world class players. They should win. I'm thinking of small stakes on the -1.
The big issue with the Chelsea/Barca match are the injuries to the 1st and 2nd choice keepers of Chelsea. They're going to be playing their third choice Hilario in goal. Alot has been made of Hilario's last Champions League appearance. The story goes that he was playing for Porto in 1997 away against Man Utd. He was a rising star, and the match would be make-or-break for him. Porto ended up losing 4-0; two of the goals the fault of Hilario, and that apparently ruined his career. So, are there going to be nerves etc.?
Other than that Chelsea should be fielding a strong team. Ashley Cole is out, but he's had a poor start to the season. Joe Cole has overcome injury and is in the squad. Full line-ups will be known tomorrow. The big issue will be how Chelsea cope with their newly-formed midfield of Ballack, Lampard, Makalele and Essien. One of these players will most likely sit out to accomodate a winger such as Robben or Joe Cole. People are questioning how Ballack and Lampard will be able to play together, when they're seemingly similar players.
Barcelona have got two injuries. One is major in the form of Samuel Eto'o being out for five months. Eto'o and Henry are the two best strikers in the world. Eto'o scores goals for fun. He is a brilliant player for Barcelona and is able to link up seamlessly with the team. That's the only thing going against Barcelona, in my opinion. They will be playing Eidur Gudjohnsen (former Chelsea player) as a striker. He's a good player, but very different from Eto'o. He likes to come deep and influence the play, but hasn't got that bright spark and the pace of Eto'o. Ronaldinho is apparently back to form. The few journalists who were able to watch Barcelona vs. Sevilla live on the weekend say he is completely rejuvenated.
Seeing as Barcelona drew away at Werder Bremen, and this is a fierce rivalry, they shouldn't be dropping too many points. I think they'll be very happy with a draw away. They are a beautiful team to watch, and all the players are comfortable with their roles. Chelsea, however, have a few new signings and a new formation that the players have to really settle into. It should be a really close match, but I'm with Markie on this one. Barca +0.5.
Markie's got two picks that I agree with in Lyon -0.5 and Barcelona +0.5.
Lyon are against Dynamo Kiev who were thrashed at home by Steau 4-1. Then beaten by Madrid 5-1. They've got an injury to their first team keeper. Lyon also have an injury to their first team goalkeeper, but they are an established Champions league team with world class players. They should win. I'm thinking of small stakes on the -1.
The big issue with the Chelsea/Barca match are the injuries to the 1st and 2nd choice keepers of Chelsea. They're going to be playing their third choice Hilario in goal. Alot has been made of Hilario's last Champions League appearance. The story goes that he was playing for Porto in 1997 away against Man Utd. He was a rising star, and the match would be make-or-break for him. Porto ended up losing 4-0; two of the goals the fault of Hilario, and that apparently ruined his career. So, are there going to be nerves etc.?
Other than that Chelsea should be fielding a strong team. Ashley Cole is out, but he's had a poor start to the season. Joe Cole has overcome injury and is in the squad. Full line-ups will be known tomorrow. The big issue will be how Chelsea cope with their newly-formed midfield of Ballack, Lampard, Makalele and Essien. One of these players will most likely sit out to accomodate a winger such as Robben or Joe Cole. People are questioning how Ballack and Lampard will be able to play together, when they're seemingly similar players.
Barcelona have got two injuries. One is major in the form of Samuel Eto'o being out for five months. Eto'o and Henry are the two best strikers in the world. Eto'o scores goals for fun. He is a brilliant player for Barcelona and is able to link up seamlessly with the team. That's the only thing going against Barcelona, in my opinion. They will be playing Eidur Gudjohnsen (former Chelsea player) as a striker. He's a good player, but very different from Eto'o. He likes to come deep and influence the play, but hasn't got that bright spark and the pace of Eto'o. Ronaldinho is apparently back to form. The few journalists who were able to watch Barcelona vs. Sevilla live on the weekend say he is completely rejuvenated.
Seeing as Barcelona drew away at Werder Bremen, and this is a fierce rivalry, they shouldn't be dropping too many points. I think they'll be very happy with a draw away. They are a beautiful team to watch, and all the players are comfortable with their roles. Chelsea, however, have a few new signings and a new formation that the players have to really settle into. It should be a really close match, but I'm with Markie on this one. Barca +0.5.
Right now I'm also looking at:
Anderlecht +0.5, +1
Valencia -1.5
Inter -1.5
Man Utd -1.5
Werder -1.5
Lille
Benfica
Alot of -1.5, I know. Werder should destroy Levski Sofia. They're a very fluent attacking team and scored 6 goals on the weekend.
Inter Milan match depends on team news. They should beat Spartak Moscow. Firstly because Spartak are a terrible form team in the Champions League, and seconldy because Inter are once again under a lot of pressure to perform. They had that same pressure against Roma earlier in the season, I wrote them off, but they came through with a good win. Obviously, they let themselves down again by losing 2-0 to Bayern Munich at home thanks to some late goals.
My Man Utd pick is probably borne out of pure spite. I've seen alot of people on various forums looking to pick FC Copenhagen because there's supposedly alot of 'value' in their odds. I think they're absolutely crazy. Man Utd finally has their entire first team back. Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha, Scholes, and most importantly Giggs. They've also got Vidic at the back who is forming a brilliant partnership with Rio Ferdinand. There's no value in the straight pick Man Utd, but I really think we're going to see a rout here. Too much quality and form on Man Utd's side against a small defensively minded team that has yet to score a goal in their Champions league debut season. I really hope I'm right!
I was thinking about playing Bordeaux because Liverpool have injury problems, and are in poor form. Gerrard and Kuyt are out. Benitez doesn't know his best team, and they're not performing well. I don't know enough about Bordeaux to make a pick yet.
Anderlecht +0.5, +1
Valencia -1.5
Inter -1.5
Man Utd -1.5
Werder -1.5
Lille
Benfica
Alot of -1.5, I know. Werder should destroy Levski Sofia. They're a very fluent attacking team and scored 6 goals on the weekend.
Inter Milan match depends on team news. They should beat Spartak Moscow. Firstly because Spartak are a terrible form team in the Champions League, and seconldy because Inter are once again under a lot of pressure to perform. They had that same pressure against Roma earlier in the season, I wrote them off, but they came through with a good win. Obviously, they let themselves down again by losing 2-0 to Bayern Munich at home thanks to some late goals.
My Man Utd pick is probably borne out of pure spite. I've seen alot of people on various forums looking to pick FC Copenhagen because there's supposedly alot of 'value' in their odds. I think they're absolutely crazy. Man Utd finally has their entire first team back. Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha, Scholes, and most importantly Giggs. They've also got Vidic at the back who is forming a brilliant partnership with Rio Ferdinand. There's no value in the straight pick Man Utd, but I really think we're going to see a rout here. Too much quality and form on Man Utd's side against a small defensively minded team that has yet to score a goal in their Champions league debut season. I really hope I'm right!
I was thinking about playing Bordeaux because Liverpool have injury problems, and are in poor form. Gerrard and Kuyt are out. Benitez doesn't know his best team, and they're not performing well. I don't know enough about Bordeaux to make a pick yet.
I am also thinking about playing Benfica. There are a few important absences for Benfica but Celtic will have a much bigger problem if injured players Graveson, Hasselink, Beattie, Zurawski and McGeady all miss this game.
BENFICA (+0.5) -150 looks like a decent play.
As far as Liverpool and Bordeaux are concerned, I think this will be another 0-0 Draw for the Reds. Liverpool Away with Gerrard and Kuyt out of the line-up just reeks of a low-scoring, defensive match. Bordeaux have a decent record in Ligue 1 but they will probably keep it tight against Liverpool even though they are at home.
BORDEAUX (+0.5) -180 at home looks reasonable to me but the UNDER looks like the best bet.
MM
BENFICA (+0.5) -150 looks like a decent play.
As far as Liverpool and Bordeaux are concerned, I think this will be another 0-0 Draw for the Reds. Liverpool Away with Gerrard and Kuyt out of the line-up just reeks of a low-scoring, defensive match. Bordeaux have a decent record in Ligue 1 but they will probably keep it tight against Liverpool even though they are at home.
BORDEAUX (+0.5) -180 at home looks reasonable to me but the UNDER looks like the best bet.
MM
As I stated in your other thread, rhinooo, I am thinking that ARSENAL (ml) +125 is a trap game with the Gunners as the favourite. Arsenal have a very strong Champions League record but with the lengthy travel, cold temperatures (+1 Deg. Celsius at game time) and a couple of players missing (Ljunberg, Baptista and Eboue), I think CSKA (+0.5) -140 is a decent play.
MM
MM
I watched CSKA beat Hamburg. I was very impressed. I was very close to playing the +0.5. However, seeing Arsenal play week in and week out, and knowing their record in the Champions League; it would be hard to bet against them. Defensively they're not doing too well due to injuries in their fullback positions. But, Wenger has shown that after 10 years he knows what system to play in the Champions League. I might change my mind when I get the official team news.
Good luck to you!
Good luck to you!
Total for me is a definite no go. I see a 1-1 or a 2-1. I think CSKA have an attack thats strong enough to score against an Arsenal defense thats not at its strongest. The home supporters will be urging CSKA to attack. Arsenal have so much quality. They play counter-attacking football at its best. On the other hand, Arsenal will be more defensive than usual as they're away, in a hostile environment, and cold conditions. CSKA are also a solid team. So, I'd be very weary of predicting a total.
What were you thinking of playing mate?
What were you thinking of playing mate?
Arsenal teamsheet announced:
GK Lehman,
RB Hoyte, CB Toure, CB Djourou, LB Gallas
RM Hleb, CM Fabregas, CM Silva, LM Rosicky
ST Van Persie,
ST Henry
4-4-2 Formation.
Van Persie will probably be asked to fill in at the left hand side when defending making it a 4-5-1 at times.
CSKA have a good chance. If they can keep attacking the right hand side of Arsenal, and dominate a midfield that are great technically but aren't the strongest. I'm liking MarkieMark's CSKA +0.5 pick a lot more.
GK Lehman,
RB Hoyte, CB Toure, CB Djourou, LB Gallas
RM Hleb, CM Fabregas, CM Silva, LM Rosicky
ST Van Persie,
ST Henry
4-4-2 Formation.
Van Persie will probably be asked to fill in at the left hand side when defending making it a 4-5-1 at times.
CSKA have a good chance. If they can keep attacking the right hand side of Arsenal, and dominate a midfield that are great technically but aren't the strongest. I'm liking MarkieMark's CSKA +0.5 pick a lot more.
Anyone thinking of betting on Roma should beware.
Just saw their probable line-up posted on another forum. Quoted from Gazzetta dello sport newspaper:
(4-1-4-1) Doni,Panucci,Ferrari,Chivu,Tonetto,De Rossi ,Cassetti,Fatih,Perrotta,Taddei,Totti
They'll be missing Pizarro,Mancini,Mexes and Montella.
Pizarro has been granted leave due to a family emergency. He's Roma's newest signing and has performed very well for them. He's a holding midfielder, who likes to orchestrate play, and he will be a big miss. Mancini is also a big miss. He's a great winger and so important to Roma's pacey counter attacking football. Mexes is a strong central defender. Montella has been in good form recently but isn't always a starter.
Their star man Totti is in bad form. He doesn't seem 100%.
I know that Olympiakos strugglee defensively but a bet on them may be a good idea.
Just saw their probable line-up posted on another forum. Quoted from Gazzetta dello sport newspaper:
(4-1-4-1) Doni,Panucci,Ferrari,Chivu,Tonetto,De Rossi ,Cassetti,Fatih,Perrotta,Taddei,Totti
They'll be missing Pizarro,Mancini,Mexes and Montella.
Pizarro has been granted leave due to a family emergency. He's Roma's newest signing and has performed very well for them. He's a holding midfielder, who likes to orchestrate play, and he will be a big miss. Mancini is also a big miss. He's a great winger and so important to Roma's pacey counter attacking football. Mexes is a strong central defender. Montella has been in good form recently but isn't always a starter.
Their star man Totti is in bad form. He doesn't seem 100%.
I know that Olympiakos strugglee defensively but a bet on them may be a good idea.
