The Champions League is back! As always, a lot of thrill and excitement is expected, especially in the Group B. This Tuesday, we will see two very interesting duels –Celtic vs. PSG and Bayern Munich vs. Anderlecht.
Led by Neymar, PSG is traveling to Glasgow to take on Celtic. At the same time, Bayern Munich will try to bounce back from a Bundesliga defeat, with a big win over Anderlecht. Will they achieve their plans? Check out these previews to find out!
Celtic vs. PSG
Three-Way: 1: Celtic +1500; X: +594 Draw; 2: PSG -312
Spread +2: Celtic -120; PSG +118
Total +3.5: Over +123; Under -125
CELTIC
Who can stop PSG? With Neymar and Mbappe in the squad, this team looks unbeatable at the moment! But, perhaps, the key to defeating the giants lies in the fan support. With the support of thousands of raging supporters at the Celtic Park, the Hoops might have a chance to cause a massive upset on Tuesday!
Celtic has always been playing great on their turf. The Celtic Park is the place where this side is without a defeat since losing to Barcelona in the Champions League in November last year. Actually, Celtic has been winning most of their home games in the Scottish Premiership, where this team is the supreme leader.
Knowing that Celtic doesn’t have too many worthy opponents in the domestic league, it’s best to look at their stats in the Champions League. Last season, they played in a group with Barcelona, Manchester City, and Borussia Monchengladbach. It’s needless to say that they didn’t advance to the knockout stage. Celtic failed to win a single game in the group stage, playing draw three times and losing three matches.
One of those defeats is still probably in the memory of Celtic fans. I’m talking about the 7:0 defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Still, no one can say that Celtic embarrassed themselves at their stadium. In fact, at the Celtic Park, this team managed to play 3:3 with Manchester City.
Celtic fans are hoping for a similar scenario on Tuesday. What gives them hope is that their team is in a good run, despite the fact that several of their top players have been absent due to injuries. Dembele is out and so are Toure, Boyata, and Sviatchenko.
PSG
After 5 rounds of the Ligue 1, PSG has a hundred percent score. This team has been in a tremendous form lately, scoring 19 goals and allowing only 3, since the season started. Their top scorer has been Cavani, but it’s Neymar who’s getting the most attention from the media. It’s not a surprise – after all, he’s the most expensive football player of all times!
Whether he’ll ever be able to justify the cost of the transfer (€ 222M) is up for a debate. What’s certain is that Neymar has been playing amazing since he’s moved in Paris. But, when it comes to big transfers, Neymar is not the only one – Mbappe has joined the club as well.
The 18-year-old wunderkind made his debut in PSG shit last Friday when his side destroyed Metz 5:1. In fact, Mbappe managed to score a goal in that game and even make a goal assist. Both he and Neymar are expected to wreak havoc on Celtic defense.
However, not all of the key PSG players are going to feature in the clash with the Scottish champion. Angel Di Maria is out and so is the team’s captain, Thiago Silva. Still, the two were out in the Metz game as well, but PSG managed to make a big win.
Celtic vs. PSG – Match Prediction
At this moment, PSG seems too powerful, not just for Celtic, but for most of the teams in the UEFA Champions League. Still, this doesn’t mean the Hoops will surrender. I’m sure they will fight till the end, but 3 points will go to Paris. The odds on the simple PSG win are catching my focus, which is why I will look elsewhere for a bet. I expect the hosts to defend their fort, while the visitors should attack from all sides. The PSG is expected to score a few goals, while the hosts will struggle to create scoring chances. Therefore, go with the “Both teams to score NO” pick.
MY PICK: Both teams to score NO (-108)
Bayern Munich vs. Anderlecht
Three-Way: 1: Bayern Munich -556; X: +1350 Draw; 2: Anderlecht +4250
Spread -2.5: Bayern Munich -120; Anderlecht +118
Total +3.5: Over -137; Under +131
BAYERN MUNICH
Bayern’s superb run came to an end abruptly this weekend, when they lost to Hoffenheim 2:0. The reason why this happened probably lies in the international break. Most of Bayern’s key players played their parts in the World Cup qualifiers last week, which wasn’t the case with most of Hoffenheim’s players.
Although justification can be found for the defeat to Hoffenheim, the fans aren’t going to forgive Bayern if they lose to Anderlecht on Tuesday in the opening round of their Champions League campaign. The German side comes to this match as a huge favorite. In fact, this team is one of the biggest contenders for the Champions League title this season.
Just by looking at Bayern’s squad, you will see why that’s the case. This team has at least one amazing player for each position on the field. Last season, Bayern reached the quarter-final of the Champions League, but their squad is now much stronger.
This summer, Bayern brought several amazing players. They signed Coman, Toliso, and Sule, while James Rodrigues came on loan from Real Madrid. The best thing is that the most of their key players from the last season are still in the club!
Robert Lewandowski, for example, who was their top scorer in 2016/2017, is playing amazing at the moment. He’s already managed to put 3 goals to his name in Bundesliga and is going to be the number 1 threat to Anderlecht’s goal.
There are a few important players who will miss this game, most notably David Alaba. The left back is out because of an ankle injury. Another defender, Juan Bernat, is going to miss this game, while Jerome Boateng is struggling with fitness. With so many injured defenders in Bayern’s squad, perhaps Anderlecht really do have a chance in this match?
ANDERLECHT
Anderlecht hasn’t been doing very well lately in the Belgian First Division A. The reigning champion won only 2 games in 6 matches this season, which puts them somewhere in the middle of the table. However, they did win their previous match. This Saturday, Anderlecht defeated Lokeren 3:2 on home turf.
When it comes to Anderlecht’s away from, it has been disastrous latterly. Actually, they won only 1 point in away games this season in First Division A. This is certainly something that’s crushing the hopes of their fans ahead of the trip to Germany.
The thing that should give them hope is that Anderlecht played very well in the Champions League, the last time they got qualified. It was in the season 2014/2015 when they played in a group with Galatasaray, Borussia Dortmund, and Arsenal. This team managed to end the group stage on the 3rd spot and book a place in the Europa League playoffs.
Bayern Munich vs. Anderlecht – Match Prediction
Anything but a convincing Bayern win would be a massive surprise. Anderlecht simply doesn’t have the quality to compete with one of the world’s best teams. I expect the home side to dominate the game from the very beginning. Anderlecht won’t score in this match, while Bayern should count 2 or 3 goals.
MY PICK: Both teams to score NO (-135)
Additional Pick: Under 3.5 goals (+131)
