UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

[Jase82]

	Wednesday 29 September 2010	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
	Rubin Kazan v FC Barcelona (17:30 BST)	7.8	4.5	1.52	100.68 %
	FC Schalke 04 v Benfica (19:45 BST)	2.23	3.4	3.5	102.83 %
	Hapoel Tel Aviv v Olympique Lyonnais (19:45 BST)	3.35	3.25	2.27	104.67 %
	Internazionale v Werder Bremen (19:45 BST)	1.68	3.55	5.4	106.21 %
	Panathinaikos v FC København (19:45 BST)	1.83	3.43	4.9	104.21 %
	Rangers v Bursaspor Kulübü (19:45 BST)	1.98	3.33	4.18	104.40 %
	Tottenham Hotspur v FC Twente (19:45 BST)	1.76	3.6	5.3	103.36 %
	Valencia v Manchester United (19:45 BST)	3.05	3.27	2.5	103.37 %

[edpor]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Benfica didn't start the season well but in the last matches they looked strong, I think their odds against schalke are too high to ignore. Schalke this seaspn is being a joke

[stewstardust]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September I think that København is worth a small bet. Panathinaikos are missing half of their offense. Cristodoulopoulos, Petropoulos and Govou are out, and their most reliable defender, Kante, is very doubtful with a broken finger. Spyropoulos and Seitaridis are returning to the team, but havent played for 3 weeks. København on the other hand are cruising thru the danish league. They have had their best start ever. 7 points ahead after 10 games!! They crushed the second placed team in denmark, Midtjylland, 3-0 away this weekend after an absolute demonstration of power. They are missing regular defender Ottesen(broken arm) and his replacement, Jørgensen, have been critisised for some below-par performances. But his performance against Midtjylland was very good. The best from him this year. Everybody else in the team seems to be in top shape. Stew

[b10111]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Valencia vs Man utd

Under 2.5 goals

Valencia DNB

Well the bookies have got this wrong as I believe the odds should be evens for both teams. This game has been on Fergies mind for the last week and a half because if they lose it they will have 1 point from 2 matches and that can put massive pressure on them to win the remaining games. 2^nd thing is Fergie may still have intentions of topping the group but I believe the priority will be not to lose the game to prevent Valencia from going to six points hence I doubt they will be as adventurous as they normally can be. united normally get great results in Europe away from home and expect industry from the likes of fletcher and Vidic but their main weapon at the moment is Berbatov.If he doesn’t turn up they will struggle because Rooney isn’t playing anywhere near normal and the only way he can influence this match is to play deep.

Scholes is decent player domestically but against the in form team in Laliga I doubt he will be as influential as he will be a bit out of his depth.

Antonio Valencia is a huge loss for united as he is the only player capable of making them use width effectively hence Valencia will have an easier night as nani is too erratic.

I expect a tight game as Fergie might play one of Rooney or Berbatov in the midfield with the odd goal or 2 separating the 2 teams.

United can nick it but my favourites are Valencia in this match. I always bet on the better team

Tottenham vs Twente

-1 AH

First things first, Spurs are one of those teams you can trust at home as they play an expansive type of football that opens up teams as long as their defence holds up at the other end.sadly it is a leaky defence however twente aren’t free flowing scorers although their start has impressed me and they are a solid side.

Im actually tempted by the under 2.5 market but considering the team is Spurs I wont go there but I expect them to win by at least 1 goal.

It could well go over the 2.5 goals, problem is I haven’t watched Twente a lot this season to know how willing they are to go on the attack but with lenno back and as long as Harry picks the Russian ahead of keane they should win this game.

They do need Modric to sparkle though.

Panathinaikos vs Copengaen

Panathinaikos outright win

The Greeks always raise their game in this competition and although they are very complacent in their domestic game they do turn up on these nights and I expect them to do so. Copenhagen are in great form and their weekend win against Midtjylland will boost their self belief as did their win against Rubin kazan but I expect the greeks to nick this game 1-0 or 2-0.They have some fast players who will keep Copenhagen on the back foot all game hence I also suspect an under 2.5 goal game however the greek defence doest inspire me with confidence so I wont bite.

GL:hope

[b10111]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September A few No bet games for me on this night, I cant quite work them out, hope someone can boost my confidence levels on some of these games. Hapoel Tel aviv vs Oympique Lyon

No bet

The French league is really really poor at the moment and Lyon aren’t an exception. Last minute buys of gourcuff does help but Lyon just aren’t fluid enough to beat a lot of teams especially away from home.The weekend reverse was no surprise and im disappointed I didn’t have the guts to bet against them but the crucial factor here is the Israelis’ are also struggling at the moment. They don’t look confident at the moment and the late start of their league doesn’t help especially a 4-2 domestic defeat. There were enough good moments in their 2-0 loss to Benfica to make them slight favorites in this match and if I had to make a bet then it would be the +1 handicap however Lyon can easily win it through a moment of individual brilliance from their star players.

Normally in a game involving an Isreali team at home I would go for goals but I’m not sure about hapoel at the moment. I’m tempted by the under 2.5 but its clearly a no bet zone for me.

Rangers vs Bursaspor

No bet for me

This is another game that could end in a draw. Yes Rangers must be favourites but the odds are a touch to low for me and as much as they score for fun in the Scottish league Walter Smiths team has never struck me as free scoring side. The Turks haven’t started as well as they played last season but other than the Valencia aberration, I believe they are a quality side and could come away with the draw as they are solid.

The only value bet for me is the under 2.5 goals as I truly believe Rangers can win this 1-0 but other than that Im not confident enough to stake on it.

Schalke vs Benfica

No bet

Hard to tell whats going on with Shalke at the moment, they look a different side to last season and if you cant beat Monchengladbach at home then you have to lower your expectations for the season.Benfica are a touch different from last season as they are not free scoring but they do look a bit solid defensively and this is another game that looks like a draw to me.either team could win it but Benfica are slight favourites even though that doesn’t mean much.

The only bet I could consider is Under 2.5 goals based on how solid Benfica look defensively and the inability of shalke to score, however with the german teams defence all over the place it does look like a crazy bet the more I think of it as anything can happen

Intermilan vs Werder Bremen

No bet

Until I hear team news I won’t be looking at this one, another which could end as a draw but its hard to tell if it will be high scoring or low scoring.I know how Inter will play, tightish and hoping for an individual brilliant goal from one of their star players to settle the match but the problem is I don’t know how Bremen will play as they are too erratic for me.

Bremen have suffered some heavy loses against mediocre teams but the weekend win will have done them some confidence.I cant work out this game but if I had to bet small stakes on Inter win.

Rubin Kazan vs Barcelona

No bet

One thing about the Russian team is these guys are fighters and I expect nothing less as they will try to prove the win against their visitors was no fluke.Cant trust barca at the moment, and that’s worse without messi but with Villa suspended fore a few games in the domestic league I expect him to trouble the Russians and score a few.

Barca should win but they don’t inspire enough confidence at the moment.

GL :hope

[hornet_18]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September In their last 9 CL away games, Barca have won 1 (Kiev), lost 1 (Inter), drawn 7. Last year they drew away against Rubin, and lost at home against Rubin in the group stages which was seen as a massive shock. I dont see them as underestimating the Russian team again, however, this is no walkover. Rubin are solid at home and in the domestic league have only let in 3 goals at home this season in 12 games. They have won the league twice in a row and are fighting it out again, no Messi as the creative spark in a hostile environment and seeing Barcas away record in the CL I like the look of the 3/1 being offered by StanJames on the stalemate. GL:hope

[Kosher Readies]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Rangers look a tad short here. I know they got a point at Old Trafford but their tactics were straight forward, defending and not giving a thought about trying to score.Now they are at home against the 'weakest' team in the group, the pressure will be on them to attack, leaving the door open at the back, see last years three home defeats in this competition for what can happen.They are also probably missing their best and most creative player in Steve Davies, and Jelavic is inelligible.Evens just seems far too short. Don't know much about Bursaspor apart from being the champions of a competitive Turkish league. Any info would be helpful but my initial thoughts will be to back them DNB or on the AH.

[hornet_18]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Dont know much about Bursaspor either but I like the look of their league form. They've won their first five matches of the season (including a win away at Galatasaray) and have only let in a single goal. Yes, they did get spanked at home by Valencia but maybe that wasnt such a bad thing - with a tough welcome to the big time they now have a big chance to get some points on the board against a much weaker side who do struggle against European opposition and they will no doubt have that extra motivation to not let a beating like that against Valencia happen again. I read that their players are openly admitting the aim is to finish third, and possibly push for second and they therefore see this as a massive chance to push towards that aim. I cant have Rangers odds on against anyone in the CL bearing in mind that they got spanked 4-1 at home by Unirea and Stuttgart last season. The 4.2 on offer with Bet365 looks a decent price to me as I would probably put these teams on a par with one another. GL:hope

[Mahno]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

In their last 9 CL away games' date=' Barca have won 1 (Kiev), lost 1 (Inter), drawn 7. Last year they drew away against Rubin, and lost at home against Rubin in the group stages which was seen as a massive shock. I dont see them as underestimating the Russian team again, however, this is no walkover. Rubin are solid at home and in the domestic league have only let in 3 goals at home this season in 12 games. They have won the league twice in a row and are fighting it out again, no Messi as the creative spark in a hostile environment and seeing Barcas away record in the CL I like the look of the [b']3/1 being offered by StanJames on the stalemate. GL:hope

Agree :ok Barca is not looking good away in CL matches,also without Messi it will be even harder.last season Barca didn't even do training because it was too gold for them in Russia,pitch is not ideal too and Kazan is really tough at home(they showed it last season).Last year match between Kazan and Barca ended 0-0 so i think something similar will happen this time again. Under 2.5 goals @1.9 in Rubin v Barca HT Draw @2.25

[mikeybirr]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September I like the under 2.5 in the barca match going on wat rubin did 2 them last season.:dude Also think rangers are a good bet aganist that buraspor team who where beaten 4 nil i think on the opening gameweek at home. Will Probally go for Rubin Kazan v Barca under 2.5 at 4/5 Rangers to win at 20/21 Double at 3.51/1

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

Rangers look a tad short here. I know they got a point at Old Trafford but their tactics were straight forward' date=' defending and not giving a thought about trying to score.Now they are at home against the 'weakest' team in the group, the pressure will be on them to attack, leaving the door open at the back, see last years three home defeats in this competition for what can happen.They are also probably missing their best and most creative player in Steve Davies, and Jelavic is inelligible.Evens just seems far too short. Don't know much about Bursaspor apart from being the champions of a competitive Turkish league. Any info would be helpful but my initial thoughts will be to back them DNB or on the AH.[/quote'] It's a very difficult game to predict because as you highlighted, our home form from last season was poor. I felt we opened up a bit too much at home and we didn't have the players to do that. Walter will keep it alot tighter this season. Bougherra who is our best defender and most important player imo, missed two of the three home games last season and that was a huge loss. He offers us a huge presence at the back but also a creative influence going forward. I disagree with you regarding Davis. He was certainly our most important player last season but he's started this season off in poor form. I'm not sure if he's definitely been ruled out but if so i don't think it's the end of the world. Our most creative players this season have been Miller, Weiss and Naismith. Naismith who has been in excellent form should be able to slot into the Davis role without too many problems. Weiss should be able to offer us speed, creativity and directness from the wide areas which is somehting we lacked during last season's campaign. Jelavic being cup tied shouldn't be too big an issue. I think we'll play one up front with the in-form Kenny Miller starting so i don't think Jelavic would have started the game anyway. I'd like to hear more opinions on Bursaspor before making a final decision on the betting. EDIT: Davis has been declared fit.

[Mahno]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September I'm taking Inter @1.57 Bremen missing alot of players for this game.Now Pizarro and Fritz and both out after win against Hamburg,also captain Frings is out too.Milito might start for Inter,he is not fully recovered but there is a chance that he will be "just" fit for this match.I'm sure Inter will be very angry after 1-0 defeat to Roma.

[HastGill1]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

I'm taking Inter @1.57 Bremen missing alot of players for this game.Now Pizarro and Fritz and both out after win against Hamburg,also captain Frings is out too.Milito might start for Inter,he is not fully recovered but there is a chance that he will be "just" fit for this match.I'm sure Inter will be very angry after 1-0 defeat to Roma.

Terrible price on a side that is hardly firing on all cylinders yet..they are notorious as being poor in the CL group stages, even last year, and as a veteran of the Dynamo Kiev home debacle last year I would not even consider taking them..I say again TERRIBLE price.

[The_Tipster]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Barcelona EVERY Year always make one mistake in the group-stages and I wonder could it happen in Kazan tomorrow night...I think small stakes on Rubin Kazan and Draw is the way to go...Messi is fit how fit is the question and I would be very surprised If he started tomorrow! Rubin 9/2 Draw 14/5 Small stakes on both and might add both teams to score aswell and Over 2.5

[YAMAN]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September G.Rangers v Bursaspor 2nd Champions League game for Bursaspor in their history. They actually got the title last season first time in their history as well... Even though they dont have a big experience in European games, the talent of the players and the experience of the some International players brings the team some self-confidience... This was not enough Valencia though... Even with some substitute players they managed to beat Bursa 0-4 in Bursa... This may not be the same this time... Now, the real aim of Bursa is at least to get the 3rd place to keep on being in Europe by particapating the Europa League. For this they need points and among the teams in group (M.United,Valencia), Rangers away game should be the best and maybe the only candidate to take some away points or at least to score some goals in the way of getting points but we should still accept that Rangers is still a solid team... What we should not forget about Bursa is that their team can very well play as an away team by using counters and damage the home team... Actually, I believe that the key of Bursa's title last year was based on the points they took from away games, especially from Besiktas and Fenerbahce...The players of team performs better as an away team. Volkan, Ozan, Sercan, Batalla can be very dangerous if they play as underdogs... Especially Sercan and Volkan want to show themselves in C.League... These are very fast and talented players... Besides, no need the motivation of playing in a competition like that for both Bursa's trainer and the players... To conclude, Rangers may win but I also see Bursa making it as hard as possible. I wont be suprised if Bursa comes back with point/s even though it looks like the normal result should be home win...Well, under these facts and ideas, my bet actually based on Bursa's ability to score in away games with the very good structure of the team which also allows them to perform better as an away team... I have to admit that the price offered is good... Over 2.5 Goals @2.25 - 188BET :hope

[desnica]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Pasanen probably won't play either... There's a hint that Wesley will play as right back...(?!) Well, probably both Milito and Pandev will play, Inter will be at full strength, and everything but a home win would be a big big surprise. The difference between this and Mou's Inter is that nowdays they're trying to play more football, unlike relying on counter attacks... That unfortunately leaves too much space behind, and Inter has given a lot of possesion this season which has resulted in goal chances and goals. We still miss Thiago Motta, which I rate essential in last year's success. Inter's advantage is Maicon's offensive display, and he will be against Silvestre who is... well, Silvestre. Eto'o on the other side will oppose either Wesley as announced in kicker.de, or maybe Jensen, but anyway, he has too much on both of them. Inter will dictate the play, Werder's defence is too slow and too naive, although Inter doesn't exactly play the stile that would hurt them the best, but still I think they're way over them. The more they play directly, the more Werder will suffer. Werder cannot nore does know how to defend, it seems that Schaaf really hasn't learned anything, and I don't know how can he stand with a slap on the back after every game with the opposition praising their attacking attitude, when they're leaking behind like a sunday football league team of hangovers... Inter /-1/ @ 2,6 for me

[AGurv]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September UEFA Competitions 2010-2011 9-10-2 -2.65 units (47.36%) Man United pick +105 to bet 1 unit I think there problem has been more defensively then offensively so far this year. Berbatov been playing pretty great. Rooney being out shouldn't affect them that much. I don't believe much in any of these Spanish teams are then the top 2, and I don't really buy into them much either. Tottenham -0.5 -123 to win 1 unit Tottenham's offense should play better in Europe. Crouch has played great so far in European competition and King being back for this game should be huge. Hopefully I'm not overhyped English teams

[Mustafa]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Valencia - Man. United Man. United was not so good when playing away this season. Many people will expect them to win here because they drew at home against Rangers and against Everton and Bolton. However, Valencia is a strong team and I do not see them losing at home to this Man. United. Both teams play an open attacking football so I see a highscoring draw and will go for correct score markets. Will probably be my only bet for today since I am still dissappointed with myself for not placing these correct score doubles in Chelsea & Real games yesterday. Draw 2-2 @ 17.00 (1 unit) William Hill Draw 3-3 @ 67.00 (1 unit) William Hill

[Verminator]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

Valencia - Man. United Man. United was not so good when playing away this season. Many people will expect them to win here because they drew at home against Rangers and against Everton and Bolton. However, Valencia is a strong team and I do not see them losing at home to this Man. United. Both teams play an open attacking football so I see a highscoring draw and will go for correct score markets. Will probably be my only bet for today since I am still dissappointed with myself for not placing these correct score doubles in Chelsea & Real games yesterday. Draw 2-2 @ 17.00 (1 unit) William Hill Draw 3-3 @ 67.00 (1 unit) William Hill

I can see where you are coming from and might follow up on you(as I think the game has draw written all over it) but ManUtd usually struggle to score against Spanish Teams in the Champions League and Valencia have been defending quite well. I still like your idea a lot. What do you think about over 2.5 @ 2.26(betfair)? Think it's an extraordinary price for over 2.5, especially with ManUtd being in great attacking/bad defending form. Not sure about under 2.5 in the Barca game. Remember they met in early November in Kasan which is a terrible time for Spanish football as it's pretty much freezing by then.

[Mustafa]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

I can see where you are coming from and might follow up on you(as I think the game has draw written all over it) but ManUtd usually struggle to score against Spanish Teams in the Champions League and Valencia have been defending quite well. I still like your idea a lot. What do you think about over 2.5 @ 2.26(betfair)? Think it's an extraordinary price for over 2.5, especially with ManUtd being in great attacking/bad defending form. Not sure about under 2.5 in the Barca game. Remember they met in early November in Kasan which is a terrible time for Spanish football as it's pretty much freezing by then.

Over 2.5 looks good, but to make a nice profit you will need large stakes on that. I don't want to risk in Champions League today with large stakes. Some silly selections cost me yesterday.

[blackcrow]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Rubin Kazan - Barcelona under 1.5 @ 3.40 centrebet Barcelona head east to play Rubin Kazan and are likely to face another tough encounter as they did 2 years ago where they drew 0-0 there after losing 2-1 at home. While they are unlikely to underestimate them like they did in these games, the probable loss of Messi from this team takes away much of the ability to prise a Rubin defence that will be looking to frustrate Barcelona yet again. Rubin will park the bus looking to gain a point and they have not allowed a goal in their last 3 games at home in the Russian league. Barcelona still have plenty of class even if Messi does not play and do not expect Rubin to pose too many problems in scoring goals given their likely defensive approch to this game, while the away team will be comfortable in holding onto a one goal lead if they do score, as this should be enough for them to leave with all 3 points Panathinaikos v Copenhagen under 1.5 @ 3.00 bet365 Both teams are confident coming into this game that they can take the 3 points with Panathinaikos hoping their home crowd can give them the edge while Copenhagen will sit back and absorb this pressure as a point will be enough or them given that they already have 3 points after beating Rubin Kazan 1-0 at home. Both sides have a number of key players in jured for this game, and this will likely disrupt their ability to mount sustained attacks to get that important goal. Believe that both sides cancel each other out and looks like it will be a battle of attrition as both sides look to gain the upper hand. So can see a dour game with few chances and if a team does score then they will look to close up the game even more. Inter Milan -1.5 @ 2.66 pinnacle Inter will be confident coming into this game as they look to take advantage of a Werder Bremen side looking to be without 6 or 7 players including Pizarro, Fritz and Frings. Their coach Benitez is one that puts the CL ahead of the domestic title, and i guess it was no surprise they lost to Roma 1-0 on the weekend, but like when he was charge of Liverpool, then he will make them very tough at home to stop from winning. Bremen will face the likes of Etoo and Sneijder who can create and score, and as they struggle to defend, then goals are likely While inter have some players missing too, they have much more depth than Bremen and like them to win this one well Tottenham -1.5 @ 3.10 bet365 Like Spurs to do well at home again in the CL as they beat Young Boys 3-0 after losing 3-2 away, and in their first group game they drew 2-2 with Werder Bremen. Though they are missing some defenders, they are likely to play Bassong with Corluka (who prefers to play in the middle) if King is out, with Hutton and Assou-Ekotto. Modric and van der Varrt provided that quality in the midfield while Pavyluchenko and Crouch have the eye for goals up front. Twente did well to hold Inter Milan 2-2 at home in their first group game and are likely to play an open game as that it the way they play. This will suit Spurs who are used to teams sitting back when they play at home, and maybe even Lennon will play, with his pace to make the most of the space that is likely to be there. Believe that Rednapp will have them fired up for this game with 3 points from a home game very important for them, and like them to do the job in front of a very loud home support

[Mustafa]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

Inter Milan -1.5 @ 2.66 pinnacle Inter will be confident coming into this game as they look to take advantage of a Werder Bremen side looking to be without 6 or 7 players including Pizarro, Fritz and Frings. Their coach Benitez is one that puts the CL ahead of the domestic title, and i guess it was no surprise they lost to Roma 1-0 on the weekend, but like when he was charge of Liverpool, then he will make them very tough at home to stop from winning. Bremen will face the likes of Etoo and Sneijder who can create and score, and as they struggle to defend, then goals are likely While inter have some players missing too, they have much more depth than Bremen and like them to win this one well Tottenham -1.5 @ 3.10 bet365 Like Spurs to do well at home again in the CL as they beat Young Boys 3-0 after losing 3-2 away, and in their first group game they drew 2-2 with Werder Bremen. Though they are missing some defenders, they are likely to play Bassong with Corluka (who prefers to play in the middle) if King is out, with Hutton and Assou-Ekotto. Modric and van der Varrt provided that quality in the midfield while Pavyluchenko and Crouch have the eye for goals up front. Twente did well to hold Inter Milan 2-2 at home in their first group game and are likely to play an open game as that it the way they play. This will suit Spurs who are used to teams sitting back when they play at home, and maybe even Lennon will play, with his pace to make the most of the space that is likely to be there. Believe that Rednapp will have them fired up for this game with 3 points from a home game very important for them, and like them to do the job in front of a very loud home support

Like your reasoning and will take it in a Double Tottenham -1 & Inter -1 @ 7.44 William Hill

[Tim Booth]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Hello chaps, forum newbie here. Just thought I would give you my tuppence worth on the Rangers v Bursaspor match tonight. Weather conditions today in Glasgow are said to be pretty dire with heavy rain forecast for most of the day, although it should be dry by kick-off. The Ibrox pitch has recently been one of the best in the country but all this rain will make for an error strewn game IMO. Rangers individually are not the greatest but as a collective unit they are pretty decent. They will still play it cautiously, even at Ibrox, and hope that their in form striker Kenny Miller can take the one or two real chances they create. My initial bet was going to be under 2.5 goals but the weather conditions will probably reduce the size of my stake.

[DoMiNuS]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September The weather in Kazan will be like summertime for Barca. The temperatures are expected to be at around 8 degrees which is really hot compared to the last year -10. Even though i think the prices on Barca are way too short. If they miss Messi, who is not yet confirmed whether he is in or out, i think the chances of Rubin are great not to lose. At home they play strong and feel confident. Barca players themselves admitted that without Messi was hard to orginize nice attacks. So will wait closer to KO but if Messi is not there i will be taking +0.5 AH on Rubin. GL

[Spooner]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Valencia v Manchester United - LAY Valencia @ 2.76 Betfair After the 0-0 with Rangers in matchday 1, United will need a positive result in Spain. Defence is a big worry, with lots of goals going past them. They're conceading two or more goals on the road which is not good, but things will change, maybe starting here. Attacking wise they're very powerful, even without Rooney, it could be a blessing in disguise that he does that travel to Spain, he isn't firing. Valencia do sit top of la liga, but let's not forget it is early days and come the end of the season, I don't expect them to be there. They lost key players during the summer and up against a better side tonight, I don't see them winning this one. Schalke v Benfica - LAY Schalke @ 2.60 Betfair Odds look pretty short on home team given their form in Bundesliga, lying in 17th place. They opened up their champions league campaign with 1-0 defeat to Lyon so they do need points here however I feel Benfica will build upon their opening day win over Hapoel. They've had a couple of disappointing away results in their home league, which is a worry. But I feel they have enough talent in their squad to get a result at a struggling Schalke side, in saying that, its the type of game that could turn around the hosts season, but I have to be against them at the price.

[SpiritOf67]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Tottenham v FC Twente- Tottenham @ 1.92 Betfair This is a much better price than I expected on a home win and I fancy Spurs all the way here. They have not had a great start to the season but I feel their focus has been on the Champions League after working so hard to get here last season and I'm sure everyone at White Hart Lane will be looking forward to their first home game in the competition. Despite having some injury concerns at the back I think Spurs wil have too much for Twente going forward. Rafael Van der Vaart was signed with the CL in mind, while Luka Modric is a top class player who will pull the strings in midfield. This is Twente's first away game in the CL and while they are a solid side I think they may struggle away from home at this level. Spurs pummelled Young Boys at home in their qualifier and while I expect Twente to offer a sterner test, I think Spurs at a buzzing White Hart Lane will have too much for the Dutch side. Spurs are 1/2 on the William Hill high street coupon so this looks a generous price.

[Tyler]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September I have taken a battering recently with my selections, especially when betting in the Premiership. Results betting in England is becoming more and more unreliable so I have tended to move into other markets over there. The Champions League though is a bit more stable and with that in mind, I have gone with the following: Valencia vs Manchester United Both teams to score @ 1.91 Valencia are flying high at the moment; many expected them to be mid-table finishers this season with the departure of David Villa, David Silva & Nikola Zigic. Despite this though, they find themselves leading La Liga after 5 matches and confidence is at a major high at the Mestalla. United on the other hand are leaking goals all over the shop. Conceded three away at Everton a few weeks back, two away at Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup and conceded two away against Bolton away on the weekend. Rio Ferdinand is not fully fit and Jonny Evans' confidence must be on the floor atm being at fault for a few of the goals conceded recently. Tbh, I think Fergie will do what he usually does and go 4-5-1 with probably Berbatov up top with a midfield packed with Park, Carrick, Fletcher, Nani and maybe Anderson. I think this team is good enough to score at least once in Spain and I think the defence is dodgy enough at the moment to concede. Inter Milan vs Werder Bremen Inter Milan @ 1.57 I would've taken a handicap on this if i was a more daring man but I have seen other games from the top teams in the UCL this season that haven't been the big wins that I thought they would. Inter Milan are playing solidly at the moment and we all know Benitez relishes the Champions League. Werder Bremen are struggling. They have a whole host of injuries and are languishing at 12th in the Bundesliga after only acquiring 7 points from 6 games. They went down 4-1 to Hannover 96 in their last away game and I just think Inter have too much quality for this depleted Bremen side. William Hill gives me 2/1 on that double. Not brilliant odds at all and I have a moderate hunch on Over 2.5 goals at White Hart Lane at 1.73. Tottenham are hosting their first UCL game in 40 years and always have goals in them at home. Those three selections give me a treble at 5.18 at William Hill and i think that is what I shall run with today.

[d@du18]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Rubin Kazan v FC Barcelona Barcelona @ 1.70 Betfair The odds on Barca are valuable for me. Rubin managed to take 4 point in 2 games against the Spanish, but time has changed, they lost two key players Sergei Semak and Aleksandr Bukharov. With Messi on bench (maybe in first 11) Barca will show there class over mediocre team. They are still a force and with players like D. Villa, Xavi, Iniesta in front of goal they'll score for sure. Hapoel Tel-Aviv v Lyon Lyon DNB @ 1.68 Betfair After good last season with Israeli title and good European campaign Hapoel this season started bad.In championship they have only 2 wins one draw and 5 losses and two of them to newcomers in the league.They receive a lot of goals and also they started with loss in first game of CL, 0:2 from Benfica.They are in bad form and with some problems in the squad and coaching stuff.Lyon is also in bad form but they are CL giants.They are one of the best French teams that regularly play here and have huge experience, not like Hapoel who plays here first time. Valencia v Manchester Utd Draw @ 3.30 Betfair In this game I see no winner, Manchester will be without Rooney, Giggs, Scholes, Carrick, Valencia, Neville, all important players. It will be very hard for MU to beat on Mestalla, knowing that they score few goals at Spanish ground. Valencia is in great form, having won all but one of their games this season. In there first match they won easy at Bursaspor, the champion of Turkey. Although Murciélagos has home advantage, I can't see MU with only 1 point after 2 games. Good luck !!

[TOTTI3]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September Inter-Werder = over (1.80) / a (1.57) bet365 stake 5 / 10 Inter drew the first game of this round away against FC Twente with a score of 2-2 while Werder drew at home in the same group for 2-2 draw against Tottenham. Preview: Werder: absent: Fritz, Naldo, Frings and Pizarro. The defending champions after a disappointing first game are required to prove that they are still one of the strongest teams in the world. Bremen is a team that plays an unscrupulous football with many attacks and many times leaving the defense at the mercy of 'avversario.Con Inter Milan star has an attack I think the most logical prediction is 1 / over. Sign up for a decline in many books. :hope:hope:hope

[Guvnor2004]

Re: UEFA Champions League > Wednesday 29th September

Tottenham -1.5 @ 3.10 bet365 Like Spurs to do well at home again in the CL as they beat Young Boys 3-0 after losing 3-2 away, and in their first group game they drew 2-2 with Werder Bremen. Though they are missing some defenders, they are likely to play Bassong with Corluka (who prefers to play in the middle) if King is out, with Hutton and Assou-Ekotto. Modric and van der Varrt provided that quality in the midfield while Pavyluchenko and Crouch have the eye for goals up front. Twente did well to hold Inter Milan 2-2 at home in their first group game and are likely to play an open game as that it the way they play. This will suit Spurs who are used to teams sitting back when they play at home, and maybe even Lennon will play, with his pace to make the most of the space that is likely to be there. Believe that Rednapp will have them fired up for this game with 3 points from a home game very important for them, and like them to do the job in front of a very loud home support

I can't quite agree with your reasoning for Spurs mate. Twente sitting back will not suit Tottenham, we regularly struggle to break down teams who defend in numbers, look at all the bad results we've had last season and this, Wolves, Stoke, Wigan, we failed to break all of them down, and to be honest it is our biggest weakness. Whether Twente will be well versed enough to be able to defend in this dogged English manner though, is another thing. The other problem for me, is that not only are we not playing very well at the moment, but we just aren't scoring. We miss Defoe badly, and we've only scored 6 goals in 6 PL games, failing to score in 3 of them games. Against European opposition, we've faired slightly better as they've struggled with Crouch up top, and we've raised our game in against YB's at home, and Werder away. I expect us to have the majority of the game, it all just depends on whether we can put the ball in the back of the net.