There’s no doubt we’re going to witness a lot of entertaining matches on Tuesday night, but the Champions League is not just about the fun. It’s also about making some money! Predicting these games won’t be easy, but that’s the charm of the Champions League. Still, with a good research, you should be able to find a few bankers.
“Information is the most valuable commodity I know of” – remember the words of Gordon Gekko from Wall Street and you’ll have a chance to make money off betting. For example, did you know that Sevilla is without a home defeat since November 2016? Info like this can mean the difference between winning and losing, so make sure to read the previews below!
Nice (Fra) vs. Napoli (Ita)
Three-Way: 1: Nice +351; X: +290 Draw; Napoli -109
Spread +0.5: Nice +110; Napoli -115
Total +2.5: Over -143; Under +131
NICE
There’s some great news for Nice – Super Mario is back! Mario Balotelli had struggled with a hip injury this summer, but he’s now back and ready to help his team on their Champions League crusade. This seems like the perfect moment for return as Nice will be without Alassane Plea, who’s serving a suspension due to a red card. Unfortunately for the French side, Plea is not the only player to miss the Tuesday’s clash – Cyprien and Koziello are also out.
Despite losing 2:0 in Naples, it seems that Nice won’t give up on their Champions League dream easily. They’ve been in a sort of poor run recently, but it appears that the things could turn around easily. Actually, Nice did well on Saturday, beating Guingamp 2:0 at home. The full-time result might not give that impression, but Nice dominated that game completely.
The victory over Guingamp came as a great morale-booster, as Nice have previously struggled quite a lot. In fact, the season of the Ligue 1 started badly for them. They lost two games in a row – against Saint-Étienne in the opening round and against Troyes on their own turf.
NAPOLI
Nice seems to be ready to improve their form, but the problem is that their next opponent is Napoli. The Italian side showed real class in the first part of the doubleheader with Nice. It’s true that two Nice players earned red cards in that match, but Napoli had outplayed them even before that happened.
Another thing in favor of Napoli is that their players have been in a pretty good form lately. They had an amazing preseason, while also easily grabbing all three points in their first match in 2017/2018 Serie A season. They beat Verona 3:1 in an away game. The only shadow to the brilliant performance was the red card received by the right back, Elseid Hysaj, who’s gonna be the only Napoli player to miss the duel with Nice.
Nice (Fra) vs. Napoli (Ita) – Match Prediction
Nice has nothing to lose, which is why they’re expected to attack from the very start. They definitely have the players able to score a couple, but so does Napoli! That’s why Over 2.5 goals seem as a wise bet.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-143)
Rijeka (Cro) vs. Olympiakos Piraeus (Gre)
Three-Way: 1: Rijeka +185; X: +229 Draw; Olympiakos Piraeus +185
Spread 0: Rijeka -103; Olympiakos Piraeus -101
Total +2: Over -125; Under +124
RIJEKA
Because of the away-goal rule, Rijeka is not in a terrible situation after losing 2:1 to Olympiakos in Greece. They can book a spot in the Champions League even with a 1:0 win on Tuesday. But, do they have what it takes to beat the champion of Greece?
An advantage of Rijeka over Olympiakos is that they’ve been playing league matches for a few weeks now, meaning that their players are in a decent form. In fact, Rijeka has won 4 out of 6 games in the Croatian 1. HNL. The problem with Rijeka is that they simply don’t have enough quality in their squad. At least not enough to grab a spot in an elite competition such as the Champions League…
Still, they did a pretty decent job in the first leg, in which they had a 1-0 lead at the halftime. The things did look well for Rijeka, but then everything went downhill – Odjidja-Ofoe scored the equalizer in the 66 minute, Zhuta got a red card in 83’, while Romao scored the winner in the stoppage time. All this probably had a disastrous effect on the morale of Rijeka’s players.
OLYMPIAKOS
It would be a kind of a disaster for Olympiakos if they didn’t get qualified for the Champions League. This team has a very strong squad, which got even more powerful this summer when players like Gillet, Odjidja-Ofoe, and Emmenike joined the club.
Olympiakos did very well this Saturday in the season opener of the Greece Super League. They defeated Larissa 4:1, in a match they dominated completely. In fact, Larissa players had only 1 attempt on Olympiakos goal in the whole match.
Another thing in favor of the Greek team ahead of the clash with Rijeka is that they’re injury-free! Their manager, Besnik Hasi, can pick his best 11 players for this duel.
Rijeka (Cro) vs. Olympiakos Piraeus (Gre) – Match Prediction
There’s no doubt that Rijeka players will be extremely motivated in this game, but it seems that it won’t be enough. Despite not being too impressive in the first leg, Olympiakos definitely has the quality to earn a spot in the Champions League group stage.
MY PICK: Olympiakos to win (+185)
Sevilla (Esp) vs. Basaksehir (Tur)
Three-Way: 1: Sevilla -189; X: +409 Draw; Basaksehir +700
Spread -1: Sevilla -132; Basaksehir +123
Total +3: Over +112; Under -119
SEVILLA
It was a very turbulent summer for Sevilla. They sold a number of players that were crucial in the previous season, while making some pretty exciting signings, as well. For example, Sevilla got two major signings from Manchester City – Jesus Navas and Nolito. They also brought the club’s legend, Ever Banega, back from Inter.
Unfortunately, he won’t be able to feature on Tuesday evening because of the red card earned in the duel with Espanyol in La Liga. Still, it seems that Sevilla’s manager, Berizzo, has plenty of players to cover Banega’s place.
Sevilla has a 2:1 advantage from the first leg, but it doesn’t mean they will defend the lead. Actually, it seems that this side doesn’t even know how to play defensively, especially not in front of their supporters. If you take a look at Sevilla’s stats, you will see that they’ve scored at least one goal in 27 of their previous 30 home matches!
BASAKSEHIR
Last season Basaksehir came in second in the Turkish Superlig, which should not be a surprise given the fact that they have several excellent players in their squad. Edin Visca is the true leader of the team, a playmaker who scored the most goals for Basaksehir during the 2016/2017 season.
Apart from Visca, this side has a number of top-class players, including Emmanuel Adebayor, Eljero Elia, Gokhan Inler, etc. The best thing that most of them are fit and ready to play! But, do they have what it takes to ruin Sevilla’s plans? It seems not, but they could definitely score a few on Tuesday.
Sevilla (Esp) vs. Basaksehir (Tur) – Match Prediction
Sevilla will probably advance to the group stage of the Champions League, but this is not something that comes with tempting odds. Instead, if you want to make money, perhaps a better solution is to bet on a high number of goals!
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-110)
Additional Pick: Over 3 goals (+112)
