Champions League
FreeHurrah, the Champions League returns to us today! I’ll preview both matches although I’ll give you a quick piece of advice; don’t watch Villarreal vs Arsenal because it’ll be a shite encounter!
Manchester United vs Porto – Both of these sides claimed very good victories at weekend over good sides. They’re both good sides capable of score large quantities of goals at any given time. The two legs between these sides should both be fascinating encounters as both sides love to get the ball down and play it. Mind you, that’s probably partially due to the fact that both squads of players (on average) are pretty small! I don’t think it’s unfair to say Manchester United are clearly the better side and have the home advantage on their side. However, defensively, United have leaked 8 goals in 3 games so they’ll be looking to tighten up against a rapid Porto strikeforce. The man you have to watch from Porto is playmaker Lucho Gonzalez – if United nullify him, Porto’s threat will be decreased. Manchester United will welcome back Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Nemanja Vidic for this game, perhaps even Rio Ferdinand also. I fancy a pretty open game between these two talented sides but my call is 2-0 with a host of missed chances all over the place.
Villarreal vs Arsenal – Recent form suggests Arsenal will walk this game and I’m relatively inclined to agree. However, in Europe, Villarreal are a different side, arguably the most boring side left in the tournament, which is unusual for a Spanish side. They’re very tight defensively in Europe. However, Villarreal were humiliated at compact Almeria at weekend 3-0, which saw former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires dismissed for two bookable offences. Arsenal, by contrast, emerged with a 2-0 walkover against Manchester City at weekend with Emmanuel Adebayor finding himself amongst the goals again, which only spells good times for Arsenal fans. My call for this potentially droll encounter is 1-1 with Arsenal finishing the job at the Emirates in the return leg.
Tueday’s Picks
My tips:
I’ve got two trebles for you to consider today. The first treble contains Manchester United, Llanelli, and Unirea Urziceni. The second treble contains Sheffield United, Leeds United, and Cork City. Both trebles have a good chance of coming in and should give you some decent odds.
UEFA Champions League:
Villarreal vs Arsenal (5) 1-1
Manchester United vs Porto (8) 2-0
English Championship:
Watford vs Southampton (7)
Sheffield United vs Barnsley (8)
Crystal Palace vs Coventry City (4)
English League One:
Leyton Orient vs Leeds United (7)
Hereford United vs Brighton (5)
English League Two:
Chesterfield vs Lincoln City (6)
Barnet vs Rotherham United (7)
Darlington vs Wycombe Wanderers (8)
Port Vale vs Aldershot (6)
Irish Premier League:
Cork City vs Drogheda United (8) 2-0
Dundalk vs Shamrock Rovers (5) 1-0
Galway United vs Bohemians (6) 1-1
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Derry City (5) 2-2
Sligo Rovers vs Bray Wanderers (4) 1-2
Norwegian Adeccoligaen:
Sogndal vs Honefoss (7)
Romanian Liga:
Gloria Bistrita vs Farul Constanta (5) 1-0
Gloria Buzau vs Unirea Urziceni (8) 0-2
Poli Iasi vs CFR Cluj (7) 1-2
Pandurii vs Steau Bucharest (6) 0-1
Welsh Premier League:
Aberystwyth vs Haverfordwest (6)
Carmarthen vs Llanelli (8)
Enjoy your free betting tips!