Live on ITV1 & Skysports 2: Tues 19.45: Arsenal & Man City are nearly 5/1 (Stan James) to lose in the Champions League but the value is in goals.
Arsenal have already booked their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League but they still have top spot in their sights in Group B as they head to Olympiakos for the final match of this stage of the competition.
The fact that it’s effectively a dead rubber gives punters a tougher job as they seek out the value bets from the Karaiskakis Stadium contest and bookmakers are also struggling to call it with Stan James chalking the hosts up as 9/5 outsiders and Paddy Power making the Gunners underdogs at 17/10.
Arsene Wenger however, has named a hugely inexperienced squad for the trip, the Arsenal boss presumably considering the weekend Premier League clash with West Brom as more important and with first place in the group dependent anyway on winless Montpellier getting a result against Schalke, the Gunners evidently aren’t taking this contest too seriously.
Olympiakos have nothing to play for either of course but they are at home, so they should have the edge in this one and bet365 rate them at a tasty 3/1 to come out on top in a match that generates three or more goals. Alternativaly, if the lack of incentive for both teams is off putting, it could be worth a flutter on William Hill’s 10/11 for the net to bulge on at least three occasions given that it should be an open affair.
Only a Europa League place is at stake for eliminated Manchester City as they go to Borussia Dortmund but it’s hard to predict whether boss Roberto Mancini would actually want the added distraction of that competition as he seeks to retain the Premier League trophy.
In any case their form in the Champions League doesn’t suggest they can overcome an excellent Dortmund side, who look worthy favourites at 11/10 with Coral.
The Bundesliga outfit only bagged a point at the Etihad Stadium but they were the better team in that match and they can be fully expected to underline their superiority at European level as the duo renew hostilities at Signal Iduna Park.
City have conceded six goals in each of their away matches in Group D and Dortmund can also cause them plenty of problems at the back. A match total of more than 2.5 goals looks a banker at 4/6 (bet365) then and doubling that up with the same total in the match at Olympiakos comes in at 2/1 courtesy of William Hill.
Recommended Bets:
Olympiakos and Borussia Dortmund double – 24/5 (Stan James)
Double on both matches to produce over 2.5 goals – 2/1 (William Hill)
Compare all Champions League odds and bet at the best price.
