Europe’s elite club competition continues on Tuesday night and plenty of punters will be backing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to pick up another victory. The Premier League leaders host Napoli and a win should see City take total control of Group F. With that in mind, the Blues feature prominently in our top tips ahead of the action.

MANCHESTER CITY vs Napoli

Pep’s side have been a class above in the Premier League this season and it would take a brave man to back against them here. Napoli are a talented side and it won’t be easy by any means but the English outfit should be strong enough to emerge victorious at home. With Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus on top form, this may be a formality.

The visitors head into this one with an outside chance but Napoli to win or draw is available at 5/4. At the time of writing, Maurizio Sarri’s men are two points clear at the top of Serie A having won all eight league game so far this season. This may be a step too far for the Italian giants though.

TIP: Manchester City to win @ 8/13

RB LEIPZIG vs FC Porto

It hasn’t gone to plan for RB Leipzig so far this campaign but a win looks likely here. You can back the Bundesliga giants at 11/10 to defeat Porto on Tuesday evening; I’m fully expecting Leipzig to get back to winning ways after falling short to Besiktas. It won’t be totally one-sided but Leipzig should have enough to keep the visitors at bay.

Meanwhile, Porto ran out clear winners against Monaco in their most recent European clash – the visitors may find this one much tougher. The Portuguese side are sitting pretty at the top of the domestic table and the Champions League knockout stages are in sight. A positive result here could spur Porto on in their pursuit of glory.

TIP: RB Leipzig to win @ 11/10

Benfica vs MANCHESTER UNITED

It might not be a good couple of days for the Portuguese clubs. Benfica have failed to inspire confidence so far this season; especially in Europe’s elite competition. The hosts will be up against it against Manchester United here and a Red Devils triumph could be on the cards if Jose Mourinho lets his side go for the jugular.

The English giants were disappointing at Anfield on Saturday afternoon but a win here will erase any lingering memories of that performance. United cannot afford to be too sloppy in possession or else risk a shock defeat. 3/4 represents solid value for the Premier League side here – United will be confident of notching another win.

TIP: Manchester United to win @ 3/4

CHELSEA vs AS Roma

Antonio Conte’s men suffered a shock defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon but I fancy the Blues to get back to winning ways here. The defending Premier League champions have won both of their Champions League games so far this campaign and another success looks likely – the Stamford Bridge faithful will expect a major effort.

For the visitors, this is about damage limitation. Roma have been solid in Italy’s top flight so far this year but Chelsea may be too strong. The hosts are sitting pretty at the top of Group C and a positive result in west London will see Roma bolster their claim to advance to the knockout stages at the expense of Atletico Madrid. Sadly, Chelsea may be too strong.

TIP: Chelsea to win @ 4/7

(*Odds subject to change – accurate at the time of writing...*)

Cersei as Mourinho..? Check out our "Game of Thrones in the Football world" Infographic

October 16, 2017

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
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Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

Alex McMahon
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Weeks do not get much better than this one for football fans. There is live football on every single weekday, which is the perfect tonic for the dragging working days.

Our Thursday treat is Europa League action. With the first match kicking off at 4pm and the later matches set to finish at around 10pm BST, it’s a marathon session for those committed enough.

In this piece we are going to wander through a few of the best fixtures:

RED STAR BELGRADE vs ARSENAL

Arsenal make the trip to the magnificent Marakana on the cusp of crisis again. Their limp defeat to Watford at the weekend means victory in Serbia is even more important than previously.

Their chaotic meeting with BATE Borisov on matchday two does little to calm any nerves of Arsenal supporters, too. Despite far superior players, the Gunners’ second string were all at sea defensively and made hard work of a match that should have been a stroll in the park once they had taken an early lead.

Arsene Wenger’s side have taken all the available points, but could drop into second in the group with defeat here.

Red Star will produce a hostile atmosphere at an iconic stadium, and are a team accustomed to victory. Their win away at FC Cologne in their last Europa League outing shows they are no walkover for the Gunners, despite Cologne’s struggles this term.  

A heavily-rotated Arsenal team could be rattled under the lights in Belgrade, and the Gunners often follow a bad result with another.

TIP: Match to be drawn @ 11/4

DYNAMO KYIV vs Young Boys

Dynamo Kyiv have got off to an absolute flier in Group B, and can as good as confirm their progression with a victory on Thursday. They have six points from two matches, scoring six in the process.

The Ukrainian side were involved in a thriller with Partizan Belgrade last time out, and – if their first two matches are anything to go by – we can expect another high-scoring affair here.

BSC Young Boys, meanwhile, will be disappointed with their two points at this stage. It’s enough to keep them second in the group, but their 1-1 draw with Skenderbeu on matchday two puts them under pressure to deliver here.

Home advantage tips the balance for me.

TIP: Dynamo Kyiv to win @ 7/10

AC MILAN vs AEK Athens

The top two teams in Group D face-off at the San Siro with AC Milan on a perfect six points, and the visitors on a respectable four.

After a summer of massive investment and a plethora of changes to the team, Milan have had an up and down start to the season. Their Europa League results have been a positive, but three straight Serie A defeats – including a heart-breaking defeat to Inter at the weekend – see them already off the pace domestically.

The defence has been leaky for Milan in the Europa League, too, while there have been over 2.5 goals in both of AEK Athens’ matches. We should at least see some goals at one of football’s great coliseums, but Milan cannot afford to slip up again.

TIP: Milan to score in both halves @ 57/50

EVERTON vs LYON

Each match feels like it could be Ronald Koeman’s last as Everton manager at the moment.

Lyon have their own concerns, however, and will go to Goodison Park in desperate need of a victory having drawn their first two in the group. The Toffees have a solitary point after their frustrating draw with Apollon Limassol, and will need a miracle to qualify if they fall to defeat.

Failure to beat Brighton at the weekend really sums up the dire start to the season for Everton. To say they lack momentum coming into this crucial fixture would be the understatement of the season to date.

The visitors, on the other hand, put an end to a three-match winless Ligue 1 run with a cracking 3-2 victory over Monaco. It could be a tense evening on Merseyside, with a low-scoring affair probable.

With this being the first of a double-header, avoiding defeat is perhaps most important of all for both teams.

TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 21/20

*Odds subject to change - accurate at the time of writing*

October 18, 2017
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Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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Friday Night Football is back. All eyes will be on the London Stadium on October 20th as West Ham United welcome newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion.

Slaven Bilic’s men struggled to get going early on in the season but the Hammers have found their feet in recent weeks – the east London outfit have lost just once since the end of August.

Meanwhile, Brighton have been rock solid on home soil but the Seagulls have tended to struggle away from the Amex Stadium.

Chris Hughton will be hoping that Brighton can turn their form around in the coming weeks and some will fancy the visitors to earn a shock win here. At 18/5, they are well worth considering for a surprise triumph.

Hammers To Break Stiff Brighton Resistance?

West Ham have won three of their last four home games; keeping a clean sheet in all three victories. Bilic will expect Brighton to adopt a defensive approach at London Stadium and it will be up the Hammers to force the issue.

A clean sheet for the home side is valued at 6/5 and plenty of punters will be keen to back the Hammers in a low scoring affair.

via GIPHY

With Andy Carroll suspended, the onus will be on Javier Hernandez to inspire the Hammers to victory on Friday night.

The Mexico striker has scored three Premier League goals so far this season and another could be on the cards here – he is a 27/20 shot to score during 90 minutes.

Hughton Won’t Let Hosts Run Away With It

The Seagulls will view this one as a winnable encounter but Hughton will be wary of a West Ham thrashing here. Bilic’s side put three past hapless Huddersfield Town earlier this season and another impressive performance may be forthcoming.

Keeping things tight, especially in the first half, is an absolute must if Brighton are to defy the odds this weekend.

Hughton himself knows that West Ham are full of confidence right now and it would take a brave man to back a strong home win.

Lewis Dunk will have to be at his brilliant best to keep Hernandez quiet and the Brighton vice-captain is a 19/10 chance to be carded. Slowing the game down and preventing West Ham from breaking on the counter will be key to success at London Stadium.

Prediction

This one won’t be completely one-sided but the Hammers should prevail. Hughton’s side will defend resolutely and may get the odd chance; however, West Ham should have too much class for their opponents.

A first half goal will see Bilic’s men on their way and it could turn out to be a fairly comfortable evening for the home side. The Hammers are excellent value for money at 17/20 in 888sport’s Premier League betting markets.

WEST HAM 2-0 Brighton (Priced at 7/1 with 888sport)

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

Manchester United top our Premier League accumulator ahead of Saturday afternoon...

October 18, 2017

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
Body

Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

Alex McMahon

Premier League football is on our screens again this weekend for gameweek nine. The league is beginning to take shape, and clubs are suffering from the wear and tear of the season already.

Injuries are frustrating some managers, while rotation has seen some interesting team selections from the teams in midweek action. It might be a while until clubs are pigeon-holed for the campaign, but there are still some significant fixtures this weekend.

Below we are going to look through four of the 3pm kick-offs…

Huddersfield Town vs MANCHESTER UNITED

After flying out of the blocks and threatening to have a Premier League season for the romantics, David Wagner’s Huddersfield have struggled. They are winless in six league matches, having found the net only once in that span.

The Terriers’ failing attack has its work cut out this Saturday. Manchester United have conceded just twice in their eight league matches to date, and Jose Mourinho has already reverted to his favoured ultra-pragmatic brand of football.

The newly promoted side could slip into the bottom three with another loss here. Their 2-0 defeat at Swansea last weekend did little to inspire any optimism for this weekend, and even a depleted United should stroll to a comfortable win.

A slip up would be a hurtful blow to United’s title chances given City’s form. The only concern for Mourinho will be the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Romelu Lukaku.

TIP: Manchester United to win @ 33/100

NEWCASTLE UNITED vs CRYSTAL PALACE

Crystal Palace sprung the surprise of the season in beating Chelsea at Selhurst Park last weekend to pick up their first points of the season.

The decisive match will be this one, however, when we will see if that can be used as a springboard for the Eagles to pull themselves away from the foot of the table.

Newcastle have no such relegation worries, and have started the season well. The Magpies were unfortunate not to win away at Southampton last weekend, and will be looking up as they sit only two points behind Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Early form has to be forgotten for Palace if they are to avoid the drop this season. At the very least we can expect an organised performance at St James’. This could easily regress to stalemate.

TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 3/4 

STOKE CITY vs AFC BOURNEMOUTH

After being thrashed 7-2 by Manchester City last weekend, Stoke are in desperate need of a result. Failure to win could well see the Potters fall into the relegation zone, but injuries remain a concern for Mark Hughes, who could be without three regular starters again.

The visitors, meanwhile, are stranded in the bottom three regardless of their result in the Potteries. Eddie Howe’s team are renowned for their attacking intent and high-scoring matches, but their four goals scored in eight matches is a real concern.

The defence has improved – conceding only once in their last 180 minutes of league football. With the form of Jermain Defoe and Joshua King, however, the Cherries are a perfect opponent after Stoke’s Etihad Stadium humiliation.

With stormy weather probable, this could easily break into a battle for much-needed points.

TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 17/20

SWANSEA CITY vs Leicester City

Tammy Abraham delivered a crucial three points for Swansea and Paul Clement last time out. A second home match in a row gives the Welsh club the chance to give themselves some breathing space, but they must be wary of the manager-change bounce that Leicester could benefit from.

The Foxes removed Craig Shakespeare from his post after their draw with West Bromwich Albion on Monday. With one win so far, it was an understandable decision, particularly with the success Leicester enjoyed after sacking Claudio Ranieri last season.

Swansea are a good, if a little imbalanced, team. Clement should guide them to comfortable safety this season, and their Liberty Stadium form will be key to that.

Having regained some confidence, the hosts are my pick to squeak this one as Leicester experience more mid-season turbulence.

TIP: Swansea to win @ 9/5

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho makes our list of sporting stars who would make great poker players - who else features?

October 20, 2017
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox