The Group C of the Champions League starts with two games on Tuesday – AS Roma vs. Atletico Madrid and Chelsea vs. Qarabag. Both games are bound to provide the viewers a lot of excitement, that is, a lot of goals!
Roma is hoping that with the support of their fans, they can mess up the plans of Atletico Madrid. In the second match, Qarabag will be looking not to get humiliated on their debut in the group stage of the Champions League. All of this means that the entertainment is guaranteed, but if you want to spice it up with a bet, here are two match previews to help you choose the right picks!
AS Roma vs. Atletico Madrid
Three-Way: 1: AS Roma +191; X: +229 Draw; 2: Atletico Madrid +190
Spread 0: AS Roma +104; Atletico Madrid -105
Total +2: Over -125; Under +127
AS ROMA
Many suggest that AS Roma management didn’t do a very good job during the summer transfer period. They sold several players, which were crucial for their success in the last season. Mo Salah went to Liverpool, Paredes joined Zenit, Rüdiger was sold to Chelsea. Even the goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczęsny, moved to Juventus.
Roma did bring a number of new players, but it seems that none of them have the football pedigree like those that left the club. It seems that it’s still too early to judge whether the new signings have what it takes to help Roma achieve all of their goals. So far, this team has played only 2 games in Serie A, as the duel with Sampdoria got canceled.
Right now, this team has 3 points. They won in the first round, in a match against Atalanta, but Inter beat them 3:1 in the 2nd round. The moral of Roma’s players might not be super-high at the moment, but the good thing is that they play at the Olimpico, where they can always count on massive support.
Another good news for Roma is that they don’t have too many injury concerns. A few players are injured (Pellegrini, Schick, etc.), but most of their key men are ready for the clash.
ATLETICO MADRID
This year, Atletico Madrid said goodbye to their old stadium, Vicente Calderon, which was their venue for more than half a century. They are yet to debut at the new stadium, Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. In fact, Atleti hasn’t played in front of their supporters since May. What this means is that they’re used to playing away matches, which may come in as an advantage in the clash with AS Roma.
Another advantage is that their players are flying high at the moment. They’ve been playing very well, despite the fact that they won just 5 points in 3 La Liga games this season. I say “just”because they missed a lot of chances in the duels with Girona and Valencia, both of which ended as draws.
The only win this season happened against Las Palmas. Atletico showed a real strength in that match, scoring 5 times and conceding just once. Koke was brilliant in that match, same as Carrasco and Saul. All of these players are expected to give out much more in the forthcoming matches.
The same case is with Griezmann, who has only played one match in the league so far, because of a red card against Girona. Because of that, Griezmann is eager to get back on the pitch and prove his worth. Without any doubt, he’s going to be a major threat for Roma’s goal on Tuesday. Another good news is that Atletico doesn’t have any injury worries, at least not among their A-team players.
AS Roma vs. Atletico Madrid – Match Prediction
There’s no doubt that this is going to be a close game. Still, I think that the quality is on the side of the away team. They might not win all three points, but I doubt they’ll lose to Roma. The most reasonable pick here is to go with a draw.
MY PICK: Draw (+229)
Chelsea vs. Qarabag
Three-Way: 1: Chelsea -526; X: +1150 Draw; 2: Qarabag +4655
Spread -2.5: Chelsea +112; Qarabag -110
Total +3: Over -120; Under +118
CHELSEA
The reigning champion of the Premier League, Chelsea, is a team that bookies do not consider the main favorite for winning any of the major competitions, especially not the UEFA Champions League. Still, the Blues are ready to prove them wrong. They have been doing great in the top English flight, despite losing in the first round to Burnley. After that defeat, things have changed for the better – they won against Tottenham, Everton, and Leicester City!
If Chelsea managed to beat such strong teams, they should have no problems beating Qarabag on Tuesday night in the opening round of their Champions League campaign. Apart from the amazing form, there’s another reason why their fans have every right to be optimistic – Eden Hazard is back!
The Belgian playmaker has been out of the squad since June after he suffered ankle fracture. The good news is that he’s back in the team and ready to play all 90 minutes. He made his debut of the season in the game with Leicester City, after coming in for Fabregas 12 minutes before the stoppage time. With Hazard fit and healthy, Chelsea has no injury worries ahead of the clash with Qarabag.
QARABAG
As always, this team is doing great in the Premyer Liqa. Qarabag is the best team in Azerbaijan, so the fact that they’ve been playing well in the domestic league doesn’t mean much. Their players might be in a good form at the moment, but it’s the talent that matters the most in the Champions League.
Speaking of the Champions League, this is the first time in the history that Qarabag is participating in this competition, which must give them plenty of motivation ahead of the duel with Chelsea. This team booked a place in the Group C after leaving behind Samtredia, Sheriff, and FC Copenhagen.
Although they managed to get to the most prestigious competition in the world, Qarabag players weren’t too impressive along the way. In fact, they only advanced to the group stage because of the away goal against FC Copenhagen.
Most of their players are fit and ready for their first ever match in the Champions League group stage. The only absentee is the Spanish midfielder, Dani Quintana, who was one of their crucial players in the 2016/2017 season.
Chelsea vs. Qarabag – Match Prediction
I have no doubt that Chelsea will win this game, the only question is with what goal difference. Given the fact that the Blues have been in a tremendous form and that one of their key men, Eden Hazard, is back, I predict a lot of goals in Qarabag’s net.
MY PICK: Over 3 Goals (-120)
