* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
The Champions League qualifiers are really heating up this week and we have some big names from across the continent in action in the first leg of their games on Wednesday night. We’ve got a value busting five-fold Acca for games involving Malmo, Young Boys, Legia Warsaw, Olympiakos and the game of the round where PSV host Galatasaray.
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6pm: Malmo vs HJK: Both Teams to Score
Malmo pretty much ran away with the Swedish championship last season, they’re also currently top after 12 games, but they’ve not featured in the Champions League Group Stage since way back in 2015 when they were on the wrong end of some spankings from PSG and Real Madrid. This will be their third Champions League match this season having qualified for this round beating Riga 2-1 on aggregate.
HJK also lead the Finnish league after winning last season’s championship and cruised past Montenegro champions Budocnost in the last round, winning 7-1 on aggregate. The home side are strong favourites and at home have won six of their last seven competitive matches.
HJK can’t be dismissed though, they’ve won nine of their last 10 and away from home have won seven of their last 10 and scored at least one goal in nine of those 10. Both teams are in great form and the odds for Both Teams to Score are screaming value here.
7.30pm: Slovan Bratislava vs Young Boys: Over 2.5 Goals
Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava overcame Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers 3-2 in the last round and must face Swiss champions Young Boys as their reward. Slovan have only played two competitive matches this season while this will be Young Boy’s first competitive action.
Slovan are a strong side at home, winning seven of their last 10 and scored at least two goals in seven of their last 10 as well. Young Boys won their championship in style, winning eight of their last nine games, however they only won four of their last nine on their travels.
Their scoring record on the road is impressive, scoring 16 over those nine. We have to go with goals then, we’ve backing Over 2.5 goals here.
8pm: Legia Warsaw vs Flora: Legia to Win & BTTS
Legia overcame Norway’s Bodo/Glimt 5-2 in the previous round but started their season at home in the worst-possible fashion, losing to Rakow on penalties in the Super Cup in their own stadium. Legia are massive favourites here but they face a Flora side who have been playing competitive matches since February so they should have the edge when it comes to fitness levels.
Normally Legia should walk a game like this but of their last nine at home have conceded at least one in five of them and Flora have scored at least two goals in 10 out of their last 11 games on the road. Legia play in the better league, there’s no doubt about that, and they have the quality in the squad to advance to the next round but with Flora’s scoring record and the amount of games under their belt they should cause a few problems. We’re going with Legia to Win and Both Teams To Score here.
8pm: Olympiakos vs Neftci Baku: Olympiakos to Win to Nil
Olympiakos face off against Azerbaijan champions Neftci Baku and will be hoping to make it to the Group Stage for the third season in a row. They’ve not played a competitive match since May but in fairness, Neftci have only played two, when they were 4-2 aggregate winners over Dinamo Tbilisi in the last round.
Olympiakos have the experience here and they’ve shown over the last few seasons they can take on some big names in European football and hold their own, and Arsenal too. The away side have a good scoring record, scoring 16 over their last eight on their travels so they could cause a few problems.
However, Olympiakos have had to play four home Champions League qualifiers over the last two seasons, keeping a clean sheet in all of them and we’ve seen from their European nights how spartan their defence can be on big occasions. We’re going with Olympiakos to Win to Nil here.
8pm: PSV vs Galatasaray: Over 2.5 Goals
As runners up in the Dutch Eredivisie, PSV must take on Galatasaray who finished just one goal behind eventual Turkish champions Besiktas. Obviously the glamour tie of the round, neither side have kicked a ball in anger since May. Both teams did finish their respective seasons in mighty form though, PSV scoring 17 goals over their final eight home games while Galatasaray scored 15 over their final eight matches on the road.
The home side are favourites here and their boisterous home crowd could make all the difference. However, we have to look at goals here again, with both teams finishing the season strongly and eager to reach the next round of the qualifiers we’re going with Over 2.5 goals, a bet that would have landed in 10 of their last 16 combined matches.
Wednesday’s Champions League tips
6pm: Malmo vs HJK: Both Teams to Score
7.30pm: Slovan Bratislava vs Young Boys: Over 2.5 Goals
8pm: Legia Warsaw vs Flora: Legia to Win & BTTS
8pm: Olympiakos vs Neftci Baku: Olympiakos to Win to Nil
8pm: PSV vs Galatasaray: Over 2.5 Goals
All five of these picks in an acca-insured five fold will give you odds of around 34/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO PLACE THE BET.
ACCA INSURANCE
If one leg of your 4+ fold Acca lets you down, you get up to £/€10 back as a free bet. Customers can qualify for 1 Acca Insurance per day up to £/€10. The free bets will be credited by 12pm the following day.
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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