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GROUP E
Fiorentina v Debreceni
Lyon v Liverpool

Fascinating group this one. Liverpool started this campaign as favourites to win the group, but are now scrapping for their Champions League lives. Fiorontina are fifth in Serie A, and big haired striker Stevan Jovetic has been making quite a name for himself. It was the unmistakable hirsute wonder bagged himself a brace in the victory over Liverpool, and the striker is drawing a lot of acclaim across Europe. The Viola also have Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino to choose from up front, and they have a comfortable next game on Wednesday, when Hungarians Debreceni come to Italy. Debreceni have not made much of a show on their Champions League debut and can say goodbye to any romantic dreams of progressing. They were drawn in a hard league though, but Wednesday’s opponents Fiorentina may have been underestimated by many, especially with the more famous Italian teams from Milan taking part. Liverpool’s problems have been well document and won’t be dwelt on too much here. They have one win in seven matches in all competitions, are without Steven Gerrard, and possibly without Fernando Torres. Rafa Benitez must be getting close to the dreaded vote of confidence, and Lyon, with home advantage are the kind of team which can punish you harshly. They are back to their powerful best, and are hunting down the French title and the Champions League. They are going well in both competitions and are clearly the class outfit in Group E. Both Lyon and Fiorentina are playing good football at the moment, and have a clear route to goal. Unfortunately, if all three English clubs are going to get through, Liverpool need to discover that touch, that inspiration, that unity which saw them beat Manchester United comfortably. Struggling against bad form and having to go to Lyon though, is not ideal. Could be a huge night for the Reds. Lyon and Fiorentina won on the weekend. Liverpool and Debreceni did not.

Group E
Lyon – P3    W3    D0    L0    Pts9
Fiorentina – P3    W2    D0    L1    Pts6
Liverpool – P3    W1    D0    L2    Pts3
Debrecen – P3    W0    D0    L3    Pts0

Match Prices
Fiorentina to win: 1/6 at Bet365
Draw: 13/2 at SkyBet
Debreceni to win: 18/1 at SkyBet

Lyon to win: 7/5 at Totesport
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Liverpool to win: 21/10 at Coral

Betting Tips:
1st Half/2nd Half Result – Draw/Fiorentina: 3/1 at William Hill
Lyon to win 2-0: 10/1 at Paddy Power

To Win Group E
Lyon – 3/10 at William Hill
Fiorentina – 4/1 at Paddy Power
Liverpool – 25/1 at Blue Square

GROUP F
Rubin Kazan v Barcelona
Dynamo Kiev v Inter Milan

Rubin, the Russian champions, and the team which look set to retain that title, caused one of the big upsets of the competition by beating Barcelona, the favourites to win the Champions League, in their own back yard. That happened on Match day three, to leave the Group in a very precarious position. All in all this has been the most hotly contested group, with Rubin, Barcelona and Kiev on four points, and Inter Milan winless at the bottom with just three. Surely nobody saw that coming at the halfway stage. Rubin have been a bit of bright spark, and have played their way into contention for qualifying from the group. They held Inter to a draw in Russia, and then pulled off the momentous win at the Nou Camp, with goals in both halves of the match. They have given themselves a great deal of hope now, and Barcelona will be the ones who will have to approach the game back in Russia with some caution. Barca are undefeated at the top of the Spanish League by one point over Real Madrid, and that is what made the loss against the Russian so spectacular. Combined with the 0-0 draw they could muster in the heavyweight battle against Inter Milan, the group is the tighest in the competition, with all sides in with a realistic chance of qualifying. Let’s no forget the impact that Dynamo Kiev are having on Group F as well. The Ukranians, top of their domestic league, and have the same record as Barcelona and Rubin in the Champions league. The game in Milan on Match day three produced an interesting 2-2 draw, and probably will not be giving Inter an easy ride when they face them again on Wednesday. Inter, who are flying away with Serie A at the moment, really need a win to get back on track, regardless of what happens in the other Group F match on Wednesday. Jose Mourinho will need all of his guile and wisdom to negotiate a tricky game, and to get his side back on track. This could still be a really close group come the end of Match day three. Barcelona should still win out in time, but their competition are keeping them on their toes.

Group F
Barcelona – P3    W1    D1    L1    Pts4
Dynamo – P3    W1    D1    L1    Pts4
Rubin – P3    W1    D1    L1    Pts4
Internazionale – P3    W0    D3    L0    Pts3

Match Prices
Rubin Kazan to win: 7/1 at SkyBet
Draw: 7/2 at Boylesports
Barcelona to win: 9/20 at Victor Chandler

Dynamo Kiev to win: 13/5 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Inter Milan to win: 6/5 at Totesport

Betting tips:
Barcelona to win 2-1: 8/1 at Boylesports
Dynamo Kiev Draw No Bet: 6/4 at Stan James

To Win Group F
Barcelona – 1/2 at Totesport
Inter Milan – 4/1 at Extrabet
Dynamo Kiev – 14/1 at SkyBet
Rubin Kazan – 14/1 at Bet365

GROUP G
Unirea Urziceni v Rangers
Sevilla v Stuttgart

Spanish side Sevilla are sitting in third place in La Liga, and that will be a clear indicator of just how good they are. They look a powerful side, far more powerful than any of their Group G rivals at least. Three wins from three and averaging three goals a game definitely shows that. With another win over stuttering Stuttgart, Sevilla will be cruising out of the group stages. If the strong Sevilla side do that, having already won 3-1 comfortably in Germany, it would actually give Rangers a little helping hand. Rangers are struggling to cope with the quality of the group, which, aside from Sevilla there is not a lot of to be truthful. Stuttgart are going to be facing a relegation battle if they continue at the woeful pace they have been in their domestic league, and Unirea Urziceni, while all credit is due to them, for now they look second favourites to get out of the group, they are not the kind of team that is going to bother Barcelona, Chelsea or Real Madrid in any way shape or form. Rangers are without a win, and they desperately need one. Having already been beaten by the Romanians 3-1 at home though on Match day three, won’t give Walter Smith much heart. Another good win for the Romanians would see them unexpectedly on the brink of getting out of the group stages along with Sevilla. A disappointing group, but could have a small fairy tale in it for those who recall Chelsea favourite Dan Petrescu, who manages Unirea Urziceni. Sevilla and Urinea both won on the weekend, Rangers and Stuttgart both drew.

Group G
Sevilla – P3    W3    D0    L0    Pts9
Unirea Urziceni – P3    W1    D1    L1    Pts4
Stuttgart – P3    W0    D2    L1    Pts2
Rangers – P3    W0    D1    L2    Pts1

Match Prices:
Unirea Urziceni to win: Evens at BetFred
Draw: 5/2 at Bet365
Rangers to win: 3/1 at Coral

Sevilla to win: 1/2 at Stan James
Draw: 7/2 at Ladbrokes
Stuttgart to win: 7/1 at SkyBet

Betting tips:
Unirea Urziceni to win 1-0: 6/1 at 888Sport
Sevilla to win by 2 or more goals: 6/4 at Bet365

To Win Group G
Sevilla – 1/25 at Ladbrokes
Unirea Urziceni – 20/1 at Paddy Power
Stuttgart – 80/1 at Paddy Power
Rangers – 500/1 at Paddy Power

GROUP H
Arsenal v AZ Alkmaar
Standard Liege v Olympiacos

Belgian side Standard Liege only got in the competition because Barcelona won both La Liga and the Champions League last season, which opened up another spot. Sitting third in their domestic league, they were never going to pose a major threat, and whilst they have their moments of entertainment, it has completely panned out that way. Olympiacos will be happy about that, as they will look to capitalise on their 2-1 home victory over the Belgians, when they meet again on Wednesday in Greece. That win would secure the Greeks at least second place, and a comfortable one at that. In contrast to the groups with both Milan sides in them, this has been a lopsided group, with Arsenal head and shoulders above the other teams. Their draw against AZ Alkmaar in the previous match will be nothing more than a glitch, as they are bound to enact some attacking force revenge when the Dutch side visit the Emirates on Wednesday. This will be the first group to be settled, which will be a good thing for Arsenal, as it will take some pressure off and allow them to have time to get back injured players and push on in the Premier League. AZ Alkmaar was a name which promised much on the back of their successful domestic season, but their form has been a bit dismal lately, and are having a hard time keeping up any kind of pace. They are also missing their top scorer through injury, which won’t help their cause.

Group H
Arsenal – P3   W2    D1    L0    Pts7
Olympiacos – P3    W2    D0   L1    Pts6
AZ Alkmaar – P3    W0    D2    L1    Pts2
Standard Liege -P3    W0    D1    L2    Pts1

Match Prices
Arsenal to win: 1/5 at Stan James
Draw: 6/1 at Bet365
AZ Alkmaar to win: 16/1 at Paddy Power

Standard Liege to win: 5/4 at Blue Square
Draw: 5/2 at Skybet
Olympiacos to win: 12/5 at BetFred

Betting Tips:
Arsenal to win 2-0: 11/2 at BetFred
Draw No Bet Olympiacos – 11/8 at Boylesports

To Win Group H
Arsenal – 1/7 at Coral
Olympiacos – 8/1 at Extrabet
AZ Alkmaar – 50/1 at William Hill
Standard Liege – 150/1 at Paddy Power

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

Olympiakos to win: 5/6 at BetFred
Draw: 5/1 at Bet365
Standard Liege to win: 15/4 at Expekt

Betting Tip:
Arsenal -2 Asian Handicap: 11/4 at Bet365
Olympiakos to win 2-0: 7/1 at SportingBet

To Win Group H
Arsenal – 1/10 at Blue Square
Olympiakos – 14/1 at Paddy Power
AZ Alkmaar – 25/1 at Paddy Power
Standard Liege – 40/1 at Paddy Power

Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from the beach ball incident which ended up costing them the game on Saturday against Sunderland. The Scouse-offending ball was tossed onto the pitch by a Reds supporter apparently, and when Sunderland striker Darren Bent’s shot hit it, keeper Reina was confused by the big red ball and made a move to save it instead of the small white one. Easy mistake to make one supposes. That kind of put the sour icing on a badly made cake for Liverpool, who have not been having a great time of it of late, and this now constitutes a big week for them.

The Reds lost their last Champions League match, which was away to Fiorentina, where they were outclassed in a 2-0 defeat. That defeat left them third in Group E and now have to try and rescue their campaign a little by beating Lyon. They will be hoping that by being at Anfield, will give them an edge over the French side, who have won their opening two Champions League games. Lyon have fired their way back to the top of the domestic French league, with just one defeat so far, which occurred on Saturday. On match day two, they beat Debreceni 4-0, in contrast to Liverpool’s struggling 1-0 victory over the Hungarians.

Liverpool had somewhat of a stuttering start to their domestic season, but then started picking up. But their last three games have seen the might giants falling from grace again. Following the 2-0 defeat by Fiorentina came another 2-0 defeat, this time in the Premier League to Chelsea. Add on top of that the 1-0 defeat by Sunderland and the Reds are seriously looking to turn around form. If Tuesday night does not go well for them, then it will make their next domestic game even tougher to bear. Who do they play? League leaders Manchester United. A very big week for Liverpool.

Boss Rafa Benitez’s worst nightmare came true on Saturday. The Reds were without both Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. Many questions have been raised over how strong Liverpool really are without those two, and not only the result on Saturday, but the manner in which they fell, will be concern to Liverpool fans. Sunderland displayed a lot more drive and determination to get the job done, and made Liverpool look lack-lustre and lost without their two star players. Fortunately captain Gerrard is fit enough to make the starting eleven against Lyon, but they will still be without top scorer Torres.

That makes one wonder just where the goals will come from for the English side. Four defeats in the Premier League and only one goal in two Champions League games simply is not good enough. The defeat by Fiorentina will have certainly let them know that are in a tougher group than they might have expected.

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

Betting Advice: Certainly the Kop will be demanding a lot more from the players on the field, and if ever there was a need to raise their game, it will need to be done against Lyon. Lyon are a great side to watch, and tough to play against with plenty of Champions League savvy and know-how. They top Group E and will probably be happy enough to come away from Anfield with a draw, even though Liverpool are definitely there for the taking. Without Torres and having to pick themselves up from a severe slump in form, a win could just be a little too much to ask.
Lyon to win 1-0: 12/1 at SkyBet