Today’s secondary featured game is the UEFA Champions League game at the Nou Camp between Barcelona and BATE Borisov.

You know, a lot of people are jumping on BATE here and I just don’t understand why. I’m one of BATE’s biggest advocates on this stage but they’re going to have to play very, very well here to get a result against any Barcelona side.

Rumour has it that Barcelona will be resting a whole host of first-teamers and with the match against Real Madrid looming large at weekend, that wouldn’t really surprise anyone. However, this side has plenty of depth and although the likes of Messi and Iniesta can win you games, I still strongly believe in the strength of Barcelona as a unit. Barcelona play the same brand of football from their senior team to their youth teams and subsequently any emerging youngsters play the same way, which makes it easier for newbies to blend into the first-team.

Guardiola has already stated that he’ll be encouraging the kids that he does field to “show him what they can do”, basically. Barcelona have nothing to lose here and I don’t see them ever playing a defensive game because it’s just not their style. I expect them to attack with style and flair and ultimately score more than enough goals.

If Barcelona were fielding a lesser strength side against a BATE side not needing to win then I’d perhaps give it a miss. However, the fact remains that BATE have to win or they’ll even miss out on the UEFA Europa League, which would be a disastrous situation for the Belarusian giants. They’ll be forced out of their defensive game at somepoint and that’s where Barcelona can capitalise.

BATE are an experienced team with a good manager and will threaten from set pieces with their clear height advantage. However, Barcelona boast quicker players and a passing game that BATE don’t like to play against and I think that’ll give the hosts an even bigger advantage here.

Lastly, BATE have a couple of issues of their own ahead of this game. Not only is confidence low following a poor end to their Vysshaya Liga campaign (despite winning it!) and their poor 0-1 loss against Viktoria Plzen last time out. Additionally, star striker Rodionov is no longer available for them and that is a huge blow as they just don’t score many goals without him, as their record this season indicates. The set pieces of playmaker Renan, the pace of Kontsevoy, and the finesse of Kezman are threats but none of them concern me against a very mobile and energetic Barcelona side.

Maybe this will backfire but I think Barcelona to beat the -1.5 handicap at 4/5 is a steal here. All their kids will be eager to impress and they’ve got a slow side to impress against – a side that must attack them, too! I find this a very interesting game but Barcelona -1.5 appeals to me tonight.

P.S. Maybe rules have changed but I could have sworn that UEFA implemented a ruling that stated that each side must field “x” amount of players from their “A” list in each UEFA Champions League game to avoid sides complaining when suffering as a result of a rival facing a weakened side. I wonder if that still is the case? If so, tonight’s game could be very interesting indeed!

Verdict: Barcelona to beat the -1.5 handicap at 4/5.

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Tuesday’s Picks

As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!

UEFA Champions League:

Chelsea vs Valencia CF (4) 1-1
Racing Genk vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (7) 0-2
Olympiakos Piraeus vs Arsenal (6) 1-1
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund vs Olympique de Marseille (4) 1-1
Porto vs Zenit St.Petersburg (5) 1-1
APOEL Nicosia vs Shakhtar Donetsk (6) 0-1
Barcelona vs BATE Borisov (8) 2-0
Viktoria Plzen vs AC Milan (6) 1-2

Argentinian Primera Division:

All Boys vs Argentinos Juniors (5) 1-0
Olimpo vs Estudiantes de la Plata (6) 1-1
Union de Santa Fe vs Atletico Lanus (6) 1-1
Racing Club Avellaneda vs Atletico Rafaela (7) 1-0

English Championship:

Barnsley vs Crystal Palace (6) over 2.5 goals

Enjoy your free betting tips!