Come 10pm on Wednesday evening, the 2018/19 Champions League knockout stages will be set. The race to qualify for the last-16 is well and truly on…
The two Manchester clubs are in action on Wednesday night. Both are through to the next round but finishing top of their respective groups could be decisive in the draw. City need to avoid defeat at home to Hoffenheim whilst United’s route to top spot is trickier.
Let’s take a look at 888sport’s latest Champions League betting odds ahead of Wednesday’s games. At the time of writing, this four-fold is priced up at around 15/1 – fingers crossed for lots of betting success on the final group stage matchday this season.
AJAX vs Bayern Munich
Ajax have won their last 11 matches on home soil, including both of their Champions League group stage fixtures. The Dutch outfit will fancy their chances of making it a clean sweep at the Johan Cruyff Arena…
Plenty of punters will fancy Ajax to flourish against a sub-par Bayern Munich side, especially after picking up a point in Germany. 17/20 for the hosts to avoid defeat could turn out to be a huge price.
Bayern have failed to inspire confidence domestically this campaign; the Bavarians are nine points adrift of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table. Victory here is essential for Niko Kovac’s side as they look to build momentum ahead of the festive break.
For some, EVENS for Bayern to win a group stage game will be too good to turn down – and understandably so. This has all the makings of an exciting affair.
TIP: Ajax to win OR draw @ 17/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Ajax 2-2 Bayern (Priced at 19/2 with 888sport)
MANCHESTER CITY vs HOFFENHEIM
Newsflash: Manchester City ARE human. Pep Guardiola’s men fell short against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night – and that defeat should serve as a timely reminder to City ahead of the busy Christmas period.
In some ways, Hoffenheim is the perfect match to get over that Chelsea hangover. Finding value for any City home game is tough but 3/5 for the Premier League side to notch over 2.5 goals is a decent bet.
The Bundesliga outfit gave City a stern examination in Germany and they should give this one a good go. With that in mind, an open and expansive encounter looks likely – this could be a great watch for neutrals.
Both teams to score looks like an absolute steal at 3/4. City’s defensive unit has started to concede goals in recent weeks and another relatively high-scoring affair awaits.
TIP: Both teams to score @ 3/4
PREDICTED SCORE: Man City 3-1 Hoffenheim (Priced at 17/2 with 888sport)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs LYON
A win for Shakhtar will be enough to see the Ukrainian side advance to the last-16 and that is what makes this one of the most intriguing matchups of the week. Some of Tuesday’s tips were hard to call but this is arguably more difficult.
The hosts let a two-goal lead slip in the corresponding fixture earlier in the campaign and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Shakhtar start quickly again here. 17/10 for the Ukrainian side to take a lead into the break is a decent price.
However, I fancy Lyon’s class to shine through in the end. The Ligue 1 outfit showed plenty of quality in their two group games against Manchester City and an early goal should help to settle a few nerves.
Backing the visitors to claim three points outright is hard given Shakhtar’s record on home turf. With that in mind, 13/20 for Lyon to avoid defeat is still worth considering.
TIP: Lyon to win OR draw @ 13/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Shakhtar 1-1 Lyon (Priced at 13/2 with 888sport)
Valencia vs MANCHESTER UNITED
Valencia have little to play for if truth be told – their spot in the Europa League is already confirmed ahead of matchday six. That could spur the Spanish side on though as they look to continue their decent home form.
Under 2.5 goals has landed in four of the last five meetings between the two sides and this could be another uninspiring contest. 10/11 is a decent price for a low-scoring affair.
Despite his struggles in 2018/19, Jose Mourinho is still Jose Mourinho and United will pick up the odd shock result here and there. They defeated Juventus in Turin and another away triumph could be on the cards.
With a huge Premier League fixture against Liverpool ahead, Mourinho could rest a few players here. However, this has ‘smash and grab’ written all over it and 19/10 is massive for a team of United’s calibre.
TIP: Man United to win @ 19/10
PREDICTED SCORE: Valencia 0-1 Man United (Priced at 17/2 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
