Wednesday is a big day in the UEFA Champions League with several groups still having places in the knockout rounds up for grabs going into matchday five.
We start with a look at Group E. Both Chelsea and Sevilla have collected 10 points, while Krasnodar and Rennes dwindle in the bottom half of the table with one point apiece.
Although places in the Round of 16 are certain for the top two, the seeding order is undecided. Finishing top of the group means avoiding other group winners, which in theory makes the next set of games easier or, statistically speaking, more winnable. Chelsea came second in their group last season and got Bayern Munich in the next round for their sins, going on to lose 7-1 on aggregate.
Sevilla have only lost one of their last eight home UCL matches, picking up results against Manchester United, Leicester, and Liverpool in that time. It shows that the Andalusian side can mix it with the best from the Premier League. Bet365 offer long odds on Sevilla winning this game, pricing them at 2.75.
With their positive home record against British opposition, this bet may be worth making. In the other group game, one of Krasnodar or Rennes could go a long way towards securing Europa League football with a victory in this Russian-set fixture. Neither club is thriving at the minute; Krasnodar have failed to win eight of their last nine matches in all competitions; Rennes have been unable to win nine of their last ten. The reverse fixture ended level; Bet365 price this one at 3.40 to also end in a stalemate.
Group H will probably command the most attention out of all the groups on display on matchday five. Manchester United are top of the group with nine points, PSG and RB Leipzig are neck-and-neck, level on six points in second and third place respectively, while Istanbul Basaksehir anchor the table with three points.
No team’s progression is secured or ruled out. There is still everything to play for in this group. United play host to PSG, who will be out for revenge after losing the reverse fixture in France earlier in the campaign. However, the French champions could be without key players like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Plus, they are facing a United side in great form at home in this season’s UCL.
They scored nine goals across their previous two home group games. Marcus Rashford, who scored the winner versus PSG last time out, and Bruno Fernandes are among the top scorers in the competition with five and three goals respectively.
Despite this, bookmakers like Bet365 make United the underdogs with odds of 2.80 attached to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team for this contest. That’s a bet that seems silly to pass up.
Whatever the outcome, Leipzig will hope to leapfrog one of their group rivals by winning in Turkey against Basaksehir. Yet the Bundesliga side have been awful away of late, with no wins from their last four away outings.
Two defeats from two away games in the UCL makes us consider backing Istanbul, who are a tempting 7.50 with William Hill. Whoever you back, make sure you use Wincomparator to find the best odds for your selection. As well as providing expert tips, Wincomparator compares odds across a wide range of betting sites to find the best value for punters.
