Live on Skysports 2: Weds 19.45: Chelsea (1/8, Hills) are a banker, Celtic can win but Man Utd might slip up in the Champions League.
Despite Rafa Benitez failing to win any of his opening three games in charge at Chelsea, the Blues are an absolute banker at 1/8 with William Hill as they prepare to face FC Nordsjaelland in the Champions League but a victory is unlikely to be enough to send the defending champions into the next round.
That’s because the top two in Group E, Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus only need to draw with each other to ensure that they both progress and incredibly, they’re odds-on at 19/20 via Ladbrokes to do just that in the Ukraine.
All Chelsea can do however, is keep up their side of the bargain and cross their fingers and they should do so by carding a pretty comfortable victory against the defensively-dodgy Danes at Stamford Bridge.
Bookies are so confident of Blues dominance that Stan James make Benitez’s troops just 4/11 in the handicaps when kicking-off a goal in arrears. Starting two goals behind though, the hosts are a more appealing 10/11 courtesy of Boylesports and more specifically Paddy Power price them at 11/2 to rack up a 3-0 triumph.
That’s made more appealing by the fact that the visitors have failed to score in their other two away matches in the pool, a statistic that means Chelsea are 8/13 (Ladbrokes) at best to prevail ‘to nil’.
Celtic need to better Benfica’s result if they are to reach the knockout stages and as the Portuguese outfit head to Barcelona that’s not out of the question, especially as the Hoops host Spartak Moscow, who have nothing to play for.
Neil Lennon’s men, well rested after their boss made nine changes for the cup tie against Arbroath at the weekend. Are 4/7 via Betfred to give themselves a decent chance by landing three points at the expense of the Russians but with expectations high, the Hoops might struggle to break their opponents down and a close affair could be the result.
Nevertheless, the Old Firm giants can eventually get their noses in front so bwin’s 18/5 for them to shade it after a drawn first half catches the eye, as does 888Sport’s for them to triumph by a one-goal margin.
Meanwhile, CFR Cluj still have a chance of getting through as they head to Old Trafford and they’re overpriced at 5/1 (Stan James) to beat what will probably be a much-changed Manchester United line-up given that Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, who have already won the group, tackle domestic title rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
Recommended Bets:
CFR Cluj to beat Man Utd – 5/1 (Stan James)
Celtic to beat FC Nordsjaelland 3-0 – 11/2 (Paddy Power)
Draw/Celtic in HT/FT betting – 18/5 (bwin)
Compare all Champions League odds and bet at the best price.
