The UEFA Champions League group phase continues this week, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group D matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Olympiakos Piraeus (Gre) vs. Barcelona (Spa)
Three-Way: 1: Olympiakos Piraeus +1450; X: +578 Draw; 2: Barcelona -323 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread +2: Olympiakos Piraeus -120; Barcelona +121
Total +3: Over -127; Under +116
OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS
The Greek champions have lost the latest match in the domestic Super League to the arch-rivals Panathinaikos and are n a poor run of three defeats in the previous five outings. Olympiakos is at the bottom of the UEFA Champions League group D with zero points from the first three games, and that will probably stay the same when Barcelona comes to Athens on Tuesday night. The Blaugrana defeated them 3:0 in Spain, and I am expecting a similar outcome here as well.
Olympiakos Piraeus played 18 games so far in the 2017/18, recording nine victories, three draws, and six losses, with a goal difference of 22:20, which is 2.33 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, the Reds failed to score in only one, but they also kept the clean sheet on just one occasion, and I am sure they will allow at least two against Barcelona.
The midfielder Konstantinos Fortounis is the team’s top scorer with five goals in 13 appearances, while Emmanuel Emenike and the Iranian forward Karim Ansarifard are following him with four and three, respectively. Fortounis is also the most creative individual in Athens with four assists to his name thus far, while the midfielder Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe added three dishes. Takis Lemonis will be without the left-winger Seba, who is dealing with a knee injury and will not feature here, while El Fardou Ben and Hrvoje Milic are listed as doubtful for this tilt.
BARCELONA
The Blaugrana are in a great form of four straight victories and are at the top of La Liga with four points ahead of Valencia and even eight ahead of Real Madrid. Barcelona is also the leader of the UEFA Champions League group D with nine points from the first three matches, and a win here would definitely secure them a place in the next phase. They went through a tough game in Bilbao against Athletic, but Messi’s and Paulinho’s goals were enough for a 2:0 win, while Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was fantastic at the goal and saved Barca on several occasions.
Barcelona played 16 games so far in this campaign, recording 13 wins, a draw, and two losses, with a goal difference of 39:9, which is precisely three goals per contest on average. We saw three goals in Olympiakos’ net last time they met in the Champions League round 3, and I would be surprised if the Blaugrana fail to score minimum two on this one. They managed to find the net in each of the previous seven away matches, conceding just two in the process.
The Incredible Leo Messi is the team’s leading scorer with 16 goals in 15 appearances, but Luis Suarez is having difficulties in front of the goal this season as he recorded only three goals at the moment. The Brazilian midfielder Paulinho also has three, while Messi and Jordi Alba are the best assist-makers with five dishes apiece. Ernesto Valverde has numerous injury-related concerns as he cannot count on Andres Iniesta (hamstring), Aleix Vidal (sprained ankle), Ousmane Dembele (thigh muscle rupture), Javier Mascherano (influenza), Thomas Vermaelen (hip), Arda Turan (metatarsal bone bruise), and Rafinha (meniscus), while Gerard Pique is suspended and will sit out this one.
Olympiakos Piraeus (Gre) vs. Barcelona (Spa) – Match Prediction
Barcelona is without several key players, and the hosts could score a goal here, but I have no doubt the Blaugrana will take three points in Athens. However, the safer pick here is to bet on the goals, so I am taking the over.
MY PICK: Over 3 goals (-127)
Sporting (Por) vs. Juventus (Ita)
Three-Way: 1: Sporting +312; X: +261 Draw; 2: Juventus +114 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread +0.5: Sporting -111; Juventus +106
Total +2.5: Over +110; Under -114
SPORTING
The Lions still have a chance to fight for the second place in the Champions League group D, but they must win against Juventus, and that’s not going to be an easy thing to do. After a 1-2 defeat in Turin, Sporting won two in a row over Chaves and Rio Ave, with the latter one came in the 89th minute thanks to Bas Dost’s strike to give them a narrow 1:0 victory. Rio Ave was way better throughout the match, but Sporting escaped with an undeserved win that sent them to the 2nd place in the Primeira Liga with two points behind Porto.
Sporting played 17 games in this season, recording 11 victories, four draws, and two losses, with a goal difference of 35:13, which is a bit over 2.80 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches at home, the Lions failed to score in four out of eight, which is a quite concerning for the fans, but the most recent 5-1 win over Chaves are giving them faith prior to the clash with the Italian giants.
The Dutch forward Bas Dost is the team’s top scorer with nine goals in 15 appearances, while Bruno Fernandes with six, and Gelson Martins with five are following him on a goal scoring chart. The Argentinean left-winger Marcos Acuna is the most creative individual with five assists to his name at the moment, while Daniel Podence and Martins are tracking him with four apiece. Jorge Jesus is without Alan Ruiz (muscle), while Tobias Figueiredo, Jeremy Mathieu, and Podence are all doubtful for this encounter.
JUVENTUS
The reigning Italian champions are in an excellent run of four consecutive victories, scoring 14 goals in the process and conceding four, and are in the 2nd place in the Serie A with two points behind Napoli. Juventus recorded a vital, 2:0 win over Milan at San Siro last weekend, thanks to Gonzalo Higuain’s brace, and now they need to stay undefeated in Lisbon in order to secure a spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Juventus played 15 games in the 2017/18 so far, recording 11 victories, one draw, and three losses, with a goal difference of 39:17, which is 3.73 goals per contest on average. The Old Lady is without an away defeat in the last four matches, scoring at least two goals in each, and 13 in total, so I believe they could find the net minimum once at Estádio José Alvalade.
The Argentinean forward Paulo Dybala is the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals in 15 appearances, while the compatriot Gonzalo Higuain with seven, and the Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic with four are also the important contributors to the attack. The Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic is the best assist-maker with seven dishes to his name; Juan Cuadrado has four, while Higuain, Douglas Costa, and Alex Sandor added three assists each. Massimiliano Allegri doesn’t have plenty of injury-related issues as he has almost entire squad healthy and ready to go, only Mehdi Benatia and Benedikt Howedes are doubtful with ankle and muscle injuries, respectively.
Sporting (Por) vs. Juventus (Ita) – Match Prediction
The Old Lady has problems to keep the net intact recently if we exclude the match at San Siro, and I think the hosts could score one past Buffon, but I am still backing Juventus to get the job done.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-105)
Additional Pick: Juventus to win (+114)
