UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

[Alexc]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Also the price on City is crap!!! They were lucky to beat Wolves at the weekend.. And have yet to prove they can cut it in the champions league/1

They weren't lucky, really, mate. They would of been comfortably ahead at half-time if not for the Wolves goalie, and although they did need a mistake to break through, they never got out of second gear and still won quite easily, with ten men for the last fifteen too. Aidy, you think maybe you need to comment a bit less on United? You're clearly a United fan and the bulk of your posts about them look more suited to a United forum rather than a gambling ;)

[Aidymac]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

They weren't lucky, really, mate. They would of been comfortably ahead at half-time if not for the Wolves goalie, and although they did need a mistake to break through, they never got out of second gear and still won quite easily, with ten men for the last fifteen too. Aidy, you think maybe you need to comment a bit less on United? You're clearly a United fan and the bulk of your posts about them look more suited to a United forum rather than a gambling ;)

City's first goal was a gift, could have easily ended up a draw only for that. City also played quite poorly.. And as for me being a United fan, since when are you a moderator? I will speak how i wish on whatever topic i feel fit, and if you have a problem with that you know where the door is!

[Aidymac]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November I think the best value tonight is CSKA to beat Trabzonspor @ 2/1 The Turks sit 5th in the Turkish league and CSKA already disposed of them very easily at home, winning 3-0.. CSKA have won their last 3 matches, 3-0, 5-3 and 4-0, they are scoring for fun. I can see CSKA nicking this match! 2/1 looks a good price.

[TOTTI3]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Villarreal-Man City =2 (1.66) bet365 stake 5 / 10 Villarreal position 4° points 0 Man City position 3° points 4 Preview: Villarreal: absent: Smith, Nilmar, Reuben Mark, Zapata, Senna, Dogs, Camunas. Villarreal has a score of w0-d0-l3 goals scored 1 goals against 6 Man City and has a score of w1-d1-l1 goals scored 3 goals against 4. The Vllarreal can not ask for anything more to this group stage because they can not even get the third place in the Europa League. It 'true that once Villarreal win at home was difficult but now with a disastrous season and with the many absences are very important, I think it could benefit from the Man City to win the game. Man City has one of the strongest attacks in Europe with various Nasri, Silva, Aguero, Balotelli, Dzeko. :hope:hope:hope

[newestpunter]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Uniteds form this season.. Played 16 Won 11 Drawn 4 Lost 1 Apart from the city match, i dont see where this nosedive in form is! Might not be playing as well as at the start of the season but if you look at the results it has been a great season so far for United bar the 1 blip... Also if they can beat Galati by 2 goals away from home, why do you think they cant beat them by more at Old Trafford? I think your under 2.5 bet doesnt have much chance of succeeding personally, and i think it might be 2-0 to United at half time! Far too much class for this Galati outfit

dude, on the 18th of september man utd beat chelsea - their stats at that time read p-6 w-5 d-1 l-0 in the 7 games since then their stats read p-7 w-3 d-3 l-1 and to illustrate further in those opening 6 games the goal diff was +17 while in the 7 games since the goal difference is 0 thats a dip in form in anyones book

[newestpunter]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November btw, i'm talking form in real games as i've just noticed you have included carling cup games to illustrate your stats

[blackcrow]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Bayern Munich -1.5 @ 1.86 pinnacle Bayern can pretty much ensure progress into the next phase with a win here, and given their performance in Naples, they should not only win, but win well. They dominated the game and had plenty of chances to score but for a Badstuber own goal and Gomez missing a penalty they had to settle for a draw. Though Napoli have a very good forward line, the Bayern defence held them out quite comfortably, and now at home, dount that they will have too many problems if they play with the same intensity and enthusiasm. Man City -1.5 @ 2.85 bet365 Man City are rolling along in the EPL but there is some concern with their CL form, so expect Mancini to put the word to the players to lift their game here. They struggled to put away Villareal at home, but circumstances are now different for the Spanish side, as they are without a number of key players and so will field a relatively young and inexperienced side. Also they are pretty much out of the running for progress into the next round and with their low position in the Primera Lige, then this game does not old much importance. For Man City, it is important as they are vying with the other two sides to progress, so a win is very important to them. Like them to not only win, but win well. Man Utd -2.5 @ 2.04 pinnacle Man Utd dominated Otelul Galati to beat them 2-0 in Romania, and this was with Vidic getting sent off in the 66th minute after they just took the lead. Now at OT, they will be looking for another improved performance in order to forget the last time they played there against Man City. Expecting Ferguson to make some changes but given their depth, should still field a strong side that should be too strong for the visitors. The crowd will be pretty vocal as they will be pushing their side for a good performance and will make their feelings clear if this is not happening. Would not be surprised if Utd run up a score here. Ajax -1.5 @ 2.30 pinnacle Ajax dominated the game in Zagreb to win 2-0 and Dinamo will need to come at them here if they are to pick up their first points. With Ajaz looking to play a very attacking 3-4-3 lineup, then not only are they looking to score but also they are looking to peg Dinamo back as deeply as possible, and then look for a mistake at the back to capitalise on. Ajax look technically and tactically better here, and with the same number of points as Lyon, they need a win here to put them in the driving seat for second spot in the group - like them to win this by at least a couple of goals

[HastGill1]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Difficult to oppose Bayern currently, they are one of the 4 form sides in Europe alongside City, Real and Barca. Don't know if Ultraviras reads this but it would be useful to see how they will approach the game, previously it has been said that this is an ideal game for Napoli as they can use their fast counter attacks to hit teams on the break away from home but in terms of formation will they still play 3-4-3? I saw bits of the first game and neither team were overly ambitious, although Bayern struggled at times with Napoli's wing play. Schweinsteiger is struggling with injury for this one but apparently should play, Gargano is out for Napoli who I believe is more of a holding player, Pandev is also missing worth noting also that defender Paolo Cannavaro is suspended and Federico Fernandez will come in for him, they haven't won any of the three games he has started this season. Napoli's away form isn't much to note, think Cannavaro missing is a big blow the defence is pretty stable with 5 clean sheets in last 8. Napoli bring with them a threat down the wings, and while they are likely to be without the ball for long periods I'm not sure they will be too bothered about this as they don't seem to react well when they are expected to attack teams. I would quite like to play both teams to score but Bayerns defensive record is excellent particuarly at home. Probably an in-play job, should be a good game to watch..

[Beijing Daily]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

I think the best value tonight is CSKA to beat Trabzonspor @ 2/1 The Turks sit 5th in the Turkish league and CSKA already disposed of them very easily at home, winning 3-0.. CSKA have won their last 3 matches, 3-0, 5-3 and 4-0, they are scoring for fun. I can see CSKA nicking this match! 2/1 looks a good price.

Want to add that Trab's super-striker Burak Yilmaz is finally available tonight. 11 goals/1 assist in 7 league games so far. I haven't seen the game two weeks ago but according to the stats and to what I read on forums Trabzonspor wasn't the inferior team, CSKA just took their few chances. I expect a heated duel for the second place (or even the top spot) and with Alberto Undiano Mallenco we have a referee who averages 4,18 yellow cards in international games. http://worldreferee.com/site/copy.php?linkID=553&linkType=referee&contextType=stats I'll try over 4,5 yellow cards @ 20/19 Bwin. Over 1,5 yellow cards at HT @ 19/20.

[MPLouis]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

It's a bit early but after watching Man.City today at Old Trafford the odds look nice. I think they will drop to somewhere around 1.90 in the next weeks.

Were 2.2 when the thread was started, and now 1.7 - good call Mustafa :ok

[MPLouis]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Villarreal vs Man City – Man City -1 2.63 at Bet Fred (2 units) Villarreal have a major problem attacking wise in this match with all their main strikers (Rossi, Ruben, Nilmar) injured. It should be pretty easy then for City to soak up any pressure and quickly get on the front foot in this match, and with the attacking talent they have you really expect them to get a couple at least a couple of goals here. Other than the attackers, midfielders Senna and Cani and full back Zapata are all missing, and all of whom have featured heavily so far for Villarreal this season. :hope

Villarreal need something from the game as they are bottom of the group on 0 points. So they might well attack and leave themselves open to City on the counter. City in 3rd place need some points themselves. You would think City's extra class in attack will tell here and they should run out with a comfortable win against a team who really need to win to give them a chance of qualifying. Even at the reduced odds of 1.7, City look pretty good value I think.

[Jase82]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November ffs guys.... can we have one midweek session that doesn't descend into complete pettiness :) :ok All non CL related posts have been moved to the dumping ground.... The best thing to do when you don't like someone's posting style is to locate the little ignore button otherwise it cheapens the match threads :ok

[MPLouis]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Difficult to oppose Bayern currently, they are one of the 4 form sides in Europe alongside City, Real and Barca. Don't know if Ultraviras reads this but it would be useful to see how they will approach the game, previously it has been said that this is an ideal game for Napoli as they can use their fast counter attacks to hit teams on the break away from home but in terms of formation will they still play 3-4-3? I saw bits of the first game and neither team were overly ambitious, although Bayern struggled at times with Napoli's wing play. Schweinsteiger is struggling with injury for this one but apparently should play, Gargano is out for Napoli who I believe is more of a holding player, Pandev is also missing worth noting also that defender Paolo Cannavaro is suspended and Federico Fernandez will come in for him, they haven't won any of the three games he has started this season. Napoli's away form isn't much to note, think Cannavaro missing is a big blow the defence is pretty stable with 5 clean sheets in last 8. Napoli bring with them a threat down the wings, and while they are likely to be without the ball for long periods I'm not sure they will be too bothered about this as they don't seem to react well when they are expected to attack teams. I would quite like to play both teams to score but Bayerns defensive record is excellent particuarly at home. Probably an in-play job, should be a good game to watch..

Re. Bayern v Napoli 1st and 2nd placed in Group A, might they both be happy with a draw? But both will be nervous about being overtaken by Man City. I agree the game is hard to predict. Bayern are in better form, but they are not invincible and their odds tonight of 1.33 are too short I think - if anything the value is probably with Napoli here, although apparently Bayern were much the better side when they drew 1-1 in Italy. A lot will depend on who scores first, if anyone.

[sportxtipster]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Tuesday 1st November Manchester United vs Otelul Galati Home side will not made another mistake liek they did with Basel and will want to end the game as wuick as possible, also looking to keep the same tempo for the whole game. Otelul is a defending team and will try to defend all the game. I think Manchester will have a very big advantage of the corners and I think this one will be more than 5 corners. home AH -5 corners @ 2.2 with Stan James Benfica vs Basel Home side is in a great form and leads the group C, a group with Manchester United inside. They are a team that has many new players, but the chemistry has appeared quickly. They are undefeated in last 25 games and are very aggressive. They have opened the score in all the games played and in the majority of themm they scored in the first half. Basel lost home with Benfica and I think will be a problem of "how many", tonight. Think Benfica will lead HT/FT. Benfica HT/FT @ 2.05 with 10bet Bayen Munchen vs Napoli I think in this match will be detonated the bomb of the evening. Away side looks to me like a real bomb waiting to explode. They are not a team that can be sold with such an odd of 11! Despite the loss of form, the class is there and belongs to its players. Cavani, Hamsik, Lavezzi care all players that can blow out any defense. Without Gargano injured against Cagliari, they will lose some quality in midfield. But I expect napoli to play on counters and to striker at least one time in Bayern's net. I will go confident in this game as Bayern seems to me too perfect to be true. I see them as one of the favorites for reaching in this season final act of UCL, but that does not mean to me they will be undefeated till that moment. Mazzari is the man to beat Heynckes! away win @ 10 with Instant Action Sports

[ultravires]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Plenty of people have watched Napoli this season but I'll give my two cents on their chances tonight. I rarely watch Bayern to be honest so can't comment in-depth on them. A couple of weeks ago I did think this was a perfect opportunity for Napoli, and I still do to a degree. Cannavaro and Gargano missing are very big blows. The former leads the back 3 very well and without him Aronica and Campagnaro are certainly weaker. Gargano is a good hassler in CM who will just run around nipping at the opposition. Neither Dzemali or Inler are that sort of player so he is a big loss as well. Other than that Napoli are full-strength. They do love a counter-attack game plan but I think tonight will be a very tough task indeed. I don't think they'll get blown away by Bayern but they just might struggle to get into the match. If Maggio and Dossena are pushed back further than usual then it will be hard for Lavezzi and Hamsik to break and do the damage themselves. If Gargano and Cannavaro were available I'd definitely be on the +1.75 line but without them I can't bring myself to do it. Nap's have raised their game against the big boys all season long and they can still pack in and be very organised. I think unders could be worth a look. Having said that I am not going in, I'm just going to hope Napoli put in a respectful performance. EDIT - They will certainly still play 3-4-3, it just may be that Maggio and Dossena play more as wing backs than wingers. In short, I think Nap's will hold Bayern well enough but be undone by their back 3 on one or two occasions.

[ultravires]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Under 2.75 (goal line) is currently 2.025 on Bet365. I think this is probably the play. On paper Bayern's D looks like it has been holding quite well. Has Van Buyten got his act together and become a competent defender? The question is, how adept are they at dealing with counters because that is all they will be facing. As a unit are they up to scratch? I'd appreciate some info because I am now interested in this play given that they will see the vast majority of the ball and may struggle to crack Napoli generally.

[SgtTr]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November I'm not a Man Utd fan but I can see what you are driving at, pundits were predicting doom and gloom for Man Utd after the departure of Ronaldo, and have been critical of the way they have been grinding results, as if Utd should always play flamboyant football and score 3-4 goals but in recent times they seem to be more like Mourinho's Chelsea, and the match against Everton on last Saturday is a perfect example. And their 2-0 win in their last outing against Galati was also a hard fought one. Personally I'm going to wait for the team sheet and place a punt on either Hernandez or Rooney being the first goalscorer, both are around 3.00 - 3.50 Willhill.

Uniteds form this season.. Played 16 Won 11 Drawn 4 Lost 1 Apart from the city match, i dont see where this nosedive in form is! Might not be playing as well as at the start of the season but if you look at the results it has been a great season so far for United bar the 1 blip... Also if they can beat Galati by 2 goals away from home, why do you think they cant beat them by more at Old Trafford? I think your under 2.5 bet doesnt have much chance of succeeding personally, and i think it might be 2-0 to United at half time! Far too much class for this Galati outfit

[CocainMan]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Trabzonspor - CSKA Moscow Trabzonspor's most effective and well-shaped forward Burak Yilmaz is returning back after his 3 match European Cup ban. He is playing with really ambition and he scored over 1 goal per match this season. Also, Zokora had a ban last weekend, so his condition will be close to %100. The argentinean midfielder Colman is also playing with his ambition, especially at home matches. On the other hand, Doumbia is really on fire this month. Dzagoev and etc.. I think both teams have enough power to score. Last match, CSKA won 3-0 but today the match will be harder than the last one. Trabzon might get something from this match.. My bet is ; Both teams to score : YES...

[Sputnik]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Under 2.75 (goal line) is currently 2.025 on Bet365. I think this is probably the play. On paper Bayern's D looks like it has been holding quite well. Has Van Buyten got his act together and become a competent defender? The question is' date=' how adept are they at dealing with counters because that is all they will be facing. As a unit are they up to scratch? I'd appreciate some info because I am now interested in this play given that they will see the vast majority of the ball and may struggle to crack Napoli generally.[/quote'] The statistics (ESPN/Uefa) are quite impressive. At the Allianz their BL opponents take only 4,2 shots (1,7 on goal). I know you can't compare the big leagues in Europe directly but there is only one team better in neutralizing the opponent (at home), namely Barca (4,8 Sh / 1,5 ShG). In three CL games Bayern's opponents took 4 shots on average (2,3 on goal), again only Barca is better. Heynckes took them on a new level. Van Gaal was Ajax through and through and never cared much for a defensive structure, it was all about possession, that was his way of defending. These days have gone, it took Heynckes 2-3 months to implement a well-working pressing system. Plus they invested 40/45m in the defense, Neuer, Boateng, Rafinha. So there might still be a wrestler named van Buyten but he is part of a collective pressing system and surrounded by quality players. Actually he does pretty well:lol. A priori I'd say Bayern is invulnerable right now (at home). But Bayern and Italian teams? Germany and Italy? That was always a weird relationship and if someone can break them at home it has to be an Italian team (no-bet for me though).

[HastGill1]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Under 2.75 (goal line) is currently 2.025 on Bet365. I think this is probably the play. On paper Bayern's D looks like it has been holding quite well. Has Van Buyten got his act together and become a competent defender? The question is' date=' how adept are they at dealing with counters because that is all they will be facing. As a unit are they up to scratch? I'd appreciate some info because I am now interested in this play given that they will see the vast majority of the ball and may struggle to crack Napoli generally.[/quote'] Van Buyten is still slow, obviously a good player because he gets in the Munich side, but certainly can get caught by pace, Boateng will play ahead of Rafinha after being suspended at the weekend, Schweinsteiger would be the most obvious player to sit a bit deeper to cut out the threat from the counter attack (although we are not sure how fit he is), considering the joy Napoli had down the flanks last time though I would think it would be more likely to have an effect on the attacking of Boateng and particuarly Lahm. The Napoli back three seemed to cope pretty well with Gomez last time out, but apart from that missed penalty last time he is in great form, Ribery too. Bayern will have no problem with being patient with the ball, other German sides are struggling massively to stop them at home and are beaten before they step on the pitch, City did little better but I think Napoli appear more suited to giving them a hard game, they will need to be very disciplined at the back but show ambition so they don't encourage Lahm and Boateng on too much, but I guess this all comes with being a counter attacking side and won't be something Napoli are unfamiliar with. As you said they seem to enjoy upsetting the big boys, I just worry about how much the missings will effect them defensively as this is one game they need everyone fit. Obviously the longer it stays 0-0 the more chance Napoli will have, Bayern score plenty of early goals and the matches at home are usually over by HT, think under 2.75 is a brave play but at this point in time you can certainly make an argument for it..

[AGurv]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November UEFA Competitions 2011-2012 3-2-0 +0.67 units (60.00%) Trabzonpor pick -124 to win 1 unit @ 5dimes Expect this to be honestly a draw. CSKA not playing that well on the road even in the Russian league lately. They havent lost any, but they haven't won a lot either.

[Lodge]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November I have succombed to backing city for the first time this season tonight. The odds arnt special @ 4/6 but i just believe they'll win, and hopefully very well! At the start of the season i was one the doubters (probably because i'm a spurs fan) i genuinely believed that Utd would walk away with the title, especially after making a few good aquisitions in the summer, However City have shown most people that they really are a force to be recconed with. Although they havent been overly convincing in there first 3 CL games, I think that they will improve alot as the competition progress, abit like Spurs did last year, with the defeat against Young boys in qualifying, Throwing away a two goal lead at Werder and being 4-0 down at HT against Milan. However they got through that and turned it into an unforgettable campaign to us fans. Well i'm backing City to do something similar starting with a win over the injury hit Villarreal tonight.

[totse]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Sport	Football (Champions League)
Event	Ajax - D. Zagreb
Selection	Ajax
Strength	10/10
Date	02/11/2011
Bookmaker/Price	Boylesports @ 1.50
Reasoning	The host team today Ajax won this encounter 0-2 in Zagreb two weeks ago, they need of these three points today because next two games are with tough rivals Lion in France and Real Madrid at home. Dynamo Zagreb are without points after three rounds they lost 4-1 in France against Lion, 0-1 with Real and 0-2 with Ajax both games at home. Dynamo chances to reach even Europe League spot are minimal they have nothing to lose today but Ajax seems to be very strong for Croatian champion. Ajax have four points the same as Lion tied for second place if they win today this mean very good opportunities to reach next stage taking second place and I will back up home win.

[totse]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Sport	Football (Champions League)
Event	Inter - Lille
Selection	Inter
Strength	10/10
Date	02/11/2011
Bookmaker/Price	5Dimes @ 2.26
Reasoning	Two weeks ago Inter won this encounter 0-1 in France so they are favourite today taking three points. If Inter win today they will be very close to next stage with four or five points more than third placed with two games left. Inter play very poor in local league but for this cup they recorded two away win 2-3 defeat over CSKA Moscow also 0-1 with Lille. On the other hand Lille also didn't do so well in both tournaments local and champions league they are sitting on the last place in this group with just two points of three games played so far. Lille is not the same team as last year when they won the title in France in the summer many titular players left the club total seven and I think they will have no power to overrate players like Sneijder, Paziini, Sarate.

[totse]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Sport	Football (Champions League)
Event	Villarreal - Manchester City
Selection	over 2.5
Strength	10/10
Date	02/11/2011
Bookmaker/Price	188bet @ 2.02
Reasoning	Manchester City are very strong team who lead Premier league in England with five points more than second placed United defeating 1-6 Man Utd in their last away game. City are going today after six consecutive win combined with six over, they scored at least three goals in last four games. On the other hand Villarreal will be wholy new team today as for different reasons they will be with Giuseppe Rossi, Nilmar, Marco Ruben, Marcos Senna, Javier Camunas, Cani, Cristian Zapata and Angel Lopez all these are main players. I think City will have no problems today but who knows so over seems to be good bet. City are coming with six over in a row, Villareal recorded three over in last four games, two weeks ago they finished over in England 2-1 City won.

[totse]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November

Sport	Football (Champions League)
Event	Lyon - Real Madrid
Selection	Real Madrid
Strength	10/10
Date	02/11/2011
Bookmaker/Price	Boylesports @ 1.67
Reasoning	Two weeks ago Real Madrid won 4-0 at home that was very categorical decision how better are than French club. Lion have problems in their squad for this game they need of at least one point today and hope Ajax will not win today to keep good chances overrating this group.On the other hand if Real win they will qualify to next round with eight points more than second placed and two games left I think this will be their aim today. If Real win today they will concentrate in local league playing last two games with many reserve players so my pick is away win.

[SgtTr]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Not trying to put off people from backing City but from what I've seen of them in Europe, including Europa league last year they have been unconvincing to say the least and granted Villareal will have numerous absences but this might mislead us into thinking that it will be a walk in the park. However bearing in mind yesterday's results namely Genk-Chelsea we have to remember that a 10 million pounds team can get a decent result against a 200 million pounds one. At equivalent price I prefer to back Real Madrid who have been playing lethal counter attack football particularly suited to away matches. They have an added incentive to win tonight as Lyon eliminated them from the CL last year and robbed them of their final at the Bernabeu. Remi Garde the coach of Lyon has only 6 CL matches under his belt, and Lyon will be without Lopez, Bastos and maybe Cissokho, and will field a young and inexperienced team a bit like Villareal. But with the history behind Real and their coach I will trust Real to do a professional job at the Gerland. Real to win - 1.57 Ladbrokes.

[m00f]

Trabzonspor - CSKA Moskva can anyone find out whay is the odds on CSKA Moskva are dropping ? corrent odds are 2.7 and still dropping

[nkdz]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Ajax - Dinamo Ajax finally ended their streak of 5 games without a win in Eredivisie by beating Roda on away 4-0. That was their 5th win in eleven matches played in ED and they are currently 8 points behind AZ on the league table. It's important to say that they have also beaten Roda few days prior to the league win in national cup by 4-2, also in Kerkrade which indicates that they are in a good scoring form of late. From what i know FdB has no new problems with injuries and suspension for this game. Only Sigthorsson remains sidelined but he is almost one month out and Ajax will have him back in January. HNL is a routine for Dinamo. Playing good or bad they are usually winning their matches no matter at the opponent. One could say it's a quality of the big teams but i'd rather say that reason lies in mixture of huge gap in quality between them and rest of the league and also a "fear factor" and resignation in other teams when playing against Dinamo. Of course, sometimes some other non-sporting factors take the influence but i'd rather leave that asise now. Zadar was the first team this season who beat them but that was a really bad day in the office. It happened few days before the match against Ajax at Maksimir and to be completely honest, it was the main reason why i didn't take a bet on Ajax cause i expected much more positive reaction from Dinamo. At Maksimir, Dinamo was entirely owned by Ajax and that match discovered all of their weak spots and flaws. Beside the fact that teams like Ajax are usually very, very bad matchup for Dinamo because of their great technical and passing skills but also because of their pacey and quick football, Dinamo proved once again that they are completely harmless in offense with both of their most creative midfielders being completely out of form. Sammir and especially Badelj are not playing well lately and when you have such limited strikers like Beqiraj, Rukavina and Krstanovic, then you just can't expect anything against teams with at least a decent back line. As i mentioned in HNL thread, most of Dinamo players are out of form and team spirit is in decline after initial optimism and euphoria players are thinking more about themselves and their transfers than about the club and their team. Coach Jurcic is unable to handle that situation and i wouldn't be surprised at all if this will be his last match for Dinamo. What to expect? First of all i don't expect anything different that the scenario from the first leg. Ajax is technically and not to mention tactically superior to Dinamo in any way and as we could see in Zagreb, they can pass the ball around all day long if they like cause Dinamo can't make and hold the pressure on them long enough to take the initiative. Only good thing for Dinamo is return of right back Vrsaljko who was suspended for previous 3 CL matches. He's a taleted defender with ability and power to make a difference even in offensive part of the game but with Ibanez(probably) at the LB position it's obvious that Dinamo's back line will leak despite that. Bad day of Ajax and less running of the dutch team are the only chance for Dinamo to make something here but considering that for AFCA this match is of massive importance, i can't see that happening. If hosts will take this one 100% seriously, and there's no reason not to, and if their strikers won't be that generous like in Zagreb, things might become really ugly for my team. Something like 3-0 is my call for the match. Good luck. Pick: Ajax (-1.5) @ 2.35 Pinnacle (6/10) Bayern - Napoli Bayern proved in previous round in Napoli that they are better team by far here and with todays win they will clinch the knockout phase qualification. Napoli scored out of their only shot on target in previous match annd i doubt they will be that lucky tonight. Bayern at this moment most in form team of all in CHL and imho one of the main favourites for CL title this season. Also, Napoli will miss some important players like Gargano and Cannavaro while Robben will be the only regular player missing for FCB but he is oftenly injured so Muller/Kroos will replace him adequatly. Should be a handicap win for the hosts. Pick: Bayern (-1.5) @ 1.97 Titanbet (4/10) Benfica - Basel Except for the fact that both teams are very offensive minded in general, there's also a fact that Basel has nothing to lose in this match as they will most likely win the 3rd position in worst case. Benfica will go for a win here to qualify for the second phase and in some wicked scenario Basel could make that with 3 points here and than with a positive results vs Man United in the final round in Basel. Visitors have showed their spirit and offensive qualities at Old Trafford i and i doubt they will be any more defensive minded tonight. This should be the most exciting match of the night, i expect something like 4-2. GL Pick: Over 3.5 @ 2.63 Stan James (4/10) Trabzonspor - CSKA Moscow Looking at their most recent performances this bet looks like the most logical one. Trabzon will go for a win here and i expect them to be very brave and offensive minded tonight as CSKA will be missing several key players, especially important in defense. Visitors are overish team even in usually low scoring russian league and such strikers like Vagner Love and wingers like Tosic... I expect them to get many scoring chances tonight. First match should also finish with several more goals in bith nets, but it ended 3-0 result for CSKA. I wouldnt be surprised if Trabzon will take revenge with the similar score but they will most likely concede at least one. Pick: Over 2 @ 1.59 Pinnacle (4/10)

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Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 2nd November Villarreal vs Manchester City Don't need to add too much here, Villarreal are missing a host of players, including their top 4 strikers plus midfielders Cani and Marcos Senna. Man City are demolishing everyone that stands in their way at the moment and Mancini will be playing a full strength side because victory tonight is an absolute must with games away to Napoli and at home to Bayern next. With Silva, Aguero and Dzeko on fire at the moment I can only see one outcome here. Manchester City -0.75AH 1.875 @ Bet365