It’s matchday three in the 2018/19 Champions League campaign and 16 teams will be in action on Wednesday evening.
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to claim a first European win of the season when they go up against SSV Eindhoven in one of the two early kick-offs.
Spurs rode their luck against West Ham at the weekend but picked up a vital win and confidence will be high.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will be looking to take advantage when they host Red Star Belgrade.
Jurgen Klopp’s side could score any number of goals in that encounter and the Anfield crowd will be hoping for a one-sided demolition job.
Without further ado, let’s get down to the action. Scroll down for our top tips on this week’s fixtures; we’ve compiled a tasty 16/1 accumulator ahead of Wednesday’s European fixtures.
PSV EINDHOVEN vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
PSV’s form in the Eredivisie has been well documented; the defending champions have won nine out of nine, scoring 36 goals whilst conceding just three.
The hosts are valued at 13/5 to prevail and plenty of punters will fancy the Dutch outfit at that price. After all, Spurs are always at risk of going full Spurs and hitting the self-destruct button.
Tottenham got lucky against West Ham at the weekend but winning ugly is an excellent trait to possess. The north London side are dangerous and it would be foolish to write Spurs off despite two defeats in two Champions League games.
Punters may fancy the visitors to just about edge this one. 19/20 is a solid enough price if you fancy Tottenham’s class to shine through in Eindhoven.
For me, the best bet here is for both teams to score. Stick it in your accumulator at 11/25 and sit back, relax and watch what should be an entertaining game of football.
TIP: Both teams to score @ 11/25
PREDICTED SCORE: PSV 1-1 Tottenham (Priced at 6/1 with 888sport)
BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs Atletico Madrid
Watch this space, Borussia Dortmund could go deep into the competition this season. At 60/1, they are well worth a speculative bet to win Europe’s elite club tournament…
After two group stage games, Dortmund have a 100% winning record and the German giants have yet to concede a goal. 6/4 looks like a huge price for Dortmund to claim another important victory on home soil.
Atletico Madrid have been somewhat out of sorts in 2018/19 but Diego Simeone’s men have started to put a run together. In Europe, Madrid have also won both group fixtures so far this campaign and we could be set for a thriller on Wednesday night.
The visitors will want to keep things tight during the early exchanges and writing Atletico off completely would be foolish. Punters backing the visitors could take the 11/20 in the double chance market.
For me, Dortmund’s class should tell. They are a different beast altogether at home and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the German side prevail.
TIP: Borussia Dortmund to win @ 6/4
PREDICTED SCORE: Dortmund 2-0 Atletico (Priced at 8/1 with 888sport)
FC BARCELONA vs Inter Milan
Barcelona are one of the favourites to win this year’s competition but Lionel Messi’s latest injury may hinder their chances here. The Argentina star could be out for a prolonged spell and it may affect the Spanish side in the coming months.
The hosts will take some stopping in their pursuit of glory in this contest though and you won’t find too many punters opting for a Barcelona defeat. 12/25 is quite short for a home win but Barca rarely fall short at Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, Inter are coming into this game on the back of a 1-0 injury time victory over arch rivals AC Milan. Confidence is high in the visiting camp and it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see the Italian outfit snatch a positive result.
Mauro Icardi has been in scintillating form so far in 2018/19 and punters will fancy Messi’s compatriot to shine on Wednesday night. 11/5 for Icardi to score anytime is some price…
However, it could be a case of no Messi, no problems for Barca in this one. The hosts have enough quality in the final third to put Inter to the sword – take the 7/4 for Barca to win and both teams to score.
TIP: Barcelona to win and both teams to score @ 7/4
PREDICTED SCORE: Barcelona 3-1 Inter (Priced at 10/1 with 888sport)
LIVERPOOL vs Red Star Belgrade
Liverpool have struggled to inspire confidence in the final third in recent weeks but the Reds are primed to end that run at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Klopp’s side are in an excellent position in the race to reach the knockout stages and plenty of punters will fancy Liverpool to run riot in this encounter. 43/20 for over 4.5 home goals is worth a second look…
Red Star were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain in their last European away encounter and it doesn’t look great for the Serbian side ahead of this trip.
Yes, Liverpool are no longer scoring goals for fun but the Reds are a class above on paper and an early goal could see the floodgates open. The visitors are 16/5 to get to half-time on level terms but that looks like a stretch.
My top tip ahead of this contest is for Liverpool to win by three or more goals at 11/20. The Reds are due a strong performance after an attacking lull and this one could get ugly for the visitors.
TIP: Liverpool to win by three or more goals @ 11/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Liverpool 4-0 Red Star (Priced at 6/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
