Champions League Match Day Three – Tuesday Preview

October 20th, 2009 / Lee A Jackson

Group E
Debrecen v Fiorentina
Liverpool v Lyon
It is Match Day three in the Champions League and already the action has thrown up some major suprises. Italian side Fiorentina gave themselves a massive boost on Match Day Two, when they turned over visitors Liverpool 2-0. That put them on level points with the English team, and will have the chance to double their points against bottom of the Group Debrecen. The Hungarians have yet to score a goal, and suffered a 4-0 thumping against Lyon last time out. Fiorenitna, who themselves lost to Lyon, can leave Liverpool reeling if the Reds fall to Lyon. The win for the Italians should be no problem in coming. While Debrecen have looked more awkward and stubborn in their resistance, Fiorentina are sauntering along nicely in Serie A, sitting in fourth place in what could be a tight race. The big game of the night is at Anfield, where Liverpool need to get themselves back on track. They have suffered three straight defeats in a row, and can ill afford another one. Defeat here could be disastrous as it will more than likely leave them chasing just second place along with the Italians.

Match Prices:
Liverpool to win: 5/6 at Bet365
Draw: 5/2 at Blue Square
Lyon to win: 4/1 at SkyBet

Fiorentina to win: 2/5 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 7/2 at SkyBet
Debrecen: 33/4 at Expekt

Betting Tips:
Fiorentina to win 1-0: 6/1 at SportingBet
Lyon to win 1-0: 12/1 at SkyBet

To Win Group E
Lyon – 17/20 at SportingBet
Fiorentina: 15/8 at SkyBet
Liverpool: 5/1 at ExtraBet
Debrecen: 750/1 at Ladbrokes

Group F
Barcelona v Rubin Kazan
Inter Milan v Dynamo Kiev
Who’d a thunk it? The mighty Inter Milan, top of Serie A, were humbled on their visit to Russia, where their 10 men had to hang on for a 1-1 draw against Rubin Kazan. The other Milan team would have found that hilarious if they had not been suffering an even more embarrassing result, losing 1-0 at home to FC Zurich. Now they have to face ex-San Siro AC Milan hero, Andriy Shevchenko as Dynamo Kiev roll into town. Shevchenko netted 14 times against Inter when he was in AC colours. Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho will not have taken that Match Day Two result lying down. You can only imagine the dressing room after that. Inter have bounced back with a couple of good wins in their domestic league, and they still sit top with only one defeat. They are a lot stronger than that European hiccup suggests. But with just two points from two games in the Champions League, it is time for them to get going. They are currently one point behind Tuesday’s opponents Dynamo. Barcelona, not surprisingly are top of Group F. The favourites to relcaim the Champions League title, will hope to do a better job than Inter against the Russian champions when they face them on Tuesday. As much as the previous result will have lifted Rubin, history is not going to repeat itself and they will be under some of the severest pressure they will have faced.

Match Prices
Barcelona to win: 1/8 at Expekt
Draw: 15/2 at Stan James
Rubin Kazan to win: 22/1 at ExtraBet

Inter Milan to win: 4/9 at BetFred
Draw: 18/5 at SkyBet
Dynamo Kiev: 17/2 at Stan James

Betting Tips:
Barcelona to win 2-0: 11/2 at BlueSquare
Dynamo Kiev Draw No Bet: 11/2 at Paddy Power

To Win Group F
Barcelona – 1/4 at Boylesport
Inter Milan – 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Dynamo Kiev – 25/1 at Totesport
Rubin Kazan – 80/1 at Paddy Power

Group G
Rangers v Unirea Urziceni
Stuttgart v Sevilla
Big night for Rangers in Group G, as they will go in search of their first win of the new campaign. They need it too. Defeat would be something of a disaster, as you can expect Sevilla to overcome the king of the draws, Stuttgart in the other match. Rangers, with just one point from two games, need to take all three points to get themselves back into contention. A defeat and they will be stuck at the bottom with a mountain to climb at the halfway stage. Sevilla are looking like hotshots and could be a great outside bet to reach at least the semi finals. Another Spanish powerhouse, Sevilla are third in the Spanish league, just three points behind Real Madrid (who they recently beat), and four behind Barcelona. That intimates that they are very strong team, and other Champions League teams should be wary of them. They lost on Saturday and that was after a run of seven straight victories, and coping with a lot of injuries. Watch out for them, and watch out for Luis Fabiano who leads the Champions League with assists. A classy outfit.

Match Prices:
Rangers to win: 5/6 at Blue Square
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Unirea Urziceni to win: 4/1 at SkyBet

Stuttgart to win: 11/4 at Coral
Draw: 5/2 at Stan James
Sevilla to win: 11/10 at SkyBet

Betting Tips:
Rangers to draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Sevilla to win 2-1: 8/1 at SkyBet

To Win Group G
Sevilla – 1/5 at Stan James
Stuttgart – 15/2 at Paddy Power
Rangers – 22/1 at Paddy Power
Unirea Urziceni- 80/1 at Paddy Power

Group H
Alkmaar v Arsenal
Olyimpiacos v Standard Liege
After suriving a potential Match Day One banana skin, Arsenal should cruise to winning this Group, and there does not appear to be much anyone else is going to do about it. Much has been said about Dutch Champions Alkmaar and their home record in Europe, but they are on a slump of form, especially when compared to Tuesday’s opponents Arsenal. The Gunners have their injury problems, but can still field a team which can pass rings around most opponents. This will probably be their toughest test, but no more difficicult than playing a bottom half of the table Premier League team. They will come through to make it three wins from three. With Arsenal’s dominance, there could be a tight and hotly contest race for second place in Group H, but it is unlikely to pan out that way. The favourites for second spot would be Greek side Olympiakos, and they can go a long way to making themselves comfortable by beating Standard Liege. The Belgium team’s 1-1 tie with Alkmaar has left both teams on just one point, and having to travel to Greece is should, for all intents and purposes settle positions in the Group, especially if Arsenal win.

Match Prices:
Alkmaar to win: 6/1 at Boylesports
Draw: 3/1 at Bet365
Arsenal to win: 8/15 at Totesport