Today’s featured game is the UEFA Champions League encounter in Greece between Olympiakos Piraeus and Arsenal. Hosts Olympiakos Piraeus need just a point here to achieve qualification for the latter stages of the Champions League so they’ll have to give their all tonight. Arsenal have already qualified for the latter stages as group winners and will be resting a number of players for this redundant game.

Hosts Olympiakos have already won their other two group games at home in this campaign and will look to continue this trait against group winners Arsenal. Olympiakos enter this game having beaten bitter rivals Panathinaikos 2-0 at home and tricky Xanthi 1-0 away from home in the Super League so now turn their momentum towards their Champions League campaign.

Visitors Arsenal have struggled domestically of late with injury problems, particularly with goalscoring due to Van Persie’s lengthy injury. Arsene Wenger has decided to rest the majority of his first team for the weekend game with Liverpool at Anfield and who can blame him? They’re already through, after all. Arsenal’s side is composed largely of youngsters with a few other “old” hands to lend their experience. Make no mistake, however – Arsenal enter this game as underdogs because their side isn’t good enough to take on an experienced Greek side on their own territory and overcome them, it’s as simple as that.

Whereas I do rate Arsenal’s youngsters very highly, they are travelling to the home of a side that has beaten bigger and better sides than Arsenal over the years and continue to maintain their dominance at home even now. With Olympiakos seeking at least a point from this game and Arsenal blooding youngsters, it’s hard to look beyond a home win for this encounter.

Verdict: Olympiakos Piraeus to win at evens.

Wednesday’s Picks

My tips:

As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:

Internazionale vs Rubin Kazan – lay Internazionale at 8/5.

Hosts Internazionale have yet to convince me in the Champions League this season with a series of unconvincing displays which largely highlights the somewhat backwards mentality of Italian football nowadays. Internazionale are yet to win a home game and that really doesn’t surprise me. They’ve been dominated at home by Barcelona but managed to hold on for a draw and were outplayed here by Dynamo Kiev and still managed to steal a draw there too. However, the pressure’s on now as the hosts have to win this game to progress to the latter stages of the Champions League and I just don’t think they’re currently able to handle this pressure, even under the stewardship of mighty Jose Mourinho, a manager who I have the utmost respect for. Internazionale don’t enter this game in the best frame of mind already after tasting defeat for just the second time in Serie A this season but this time to bitter rivals Juventus. To be blunt, Internazionale don’t look like a side capable of making it to the latter stages of this competition despite a host of big names at their disposal.

Visitors Rubin Kazan have surprised a lot of people in the Champions League this season, myself included, with their well-marshalled and efficient displays. Indeed, not many sides can claim to have taken three points from Nou Camp against Barcelona but Rubin are one of those sides. In fact, Rubin have only been beaten once in this group and that was away to Dynamo Kiev in a game where the hosts simply took their chances a lot better than Rubin did. However, Rubin really didn’t look out of their depth drawing at home to Internazionale and nor did they in either game with Barcelona so I can’t see them playing any differently tonight.

Rubin Kazan have got a great chance of making it to the latter stages tonight because their strength is containing their opponents, something they do very well indeed. They’ve had longer to prepare for this game than Internazionale have with the Russian Premier League having ended a couple of weeks ago whereas Internazionale are starting to look a bit leggy. With the above in mind, I think there could be a lot of value tonight in laying Internazionale for this game.

Verdict: Lay Internazionale at 8/5.

Sevilla CF vs Rangers – lay Sevilla CF at 9/4.

Hosts Sevilla CF have been largely unconvincing at home in recent times after claiming a draw at home to Malaga and Real Valladolid respectively, neither of which a side like Sevilla should be held by. Their last Champions League game saw them succumb to defeat in Romania against lowly Unirea Urziceni, another result which shouldn’t have occurred. To put it bluntly – Sevilla aren’t firing on all cylinders which is largely due to a number of injury issues. However, this does have a chain reaction effect upon the side’s morale and momentum ultimately and Sevilla appear to be stuck in a rut temporarily, something which does make their football less fluent and easy on the eye.

With the above in mind, consider that Rangers will be playing for pride, just like all Scottish sides do nowadays. Rangers have nothing to lose and nothing to gain and in my experience, that’s the best time to back them. Rangers will not stop working in this game – fact. Interestingly enough, Rangers are unbeaten away from home in this campaign despite tricky trips to Germany and Romania  along the way, a statistic which will assist them in their struggle against mighty Sevilla tonight. Rangers will be eager to make amends after being beaten heavily at home by their Spanish opponents at the start of their campaign so this is yet another factor which will be in the minds of the players.

Although this bet naturally does have the potential to completely backfire on me as Sevilla are a better side than Rangers, I’m going to bank on the fact that Sevilla have had problems keeping sides out and breaking down resilient defences of late, which are two factors that Rangers are well-equipped to emulate and capitalise on. With the above in mind, it may be worth a small punt laying Sevilla, particularly as the hosts have already qualified for the latter stages of this competition and will be first in the group barring what would be a miraculous away win for Unirea Urziceni in Germany.

Verdict: Lay Sevilla CF at 9/4.

Standard de Liege vs AZ Alkmaar – home win at 5/6.

This bet is purely about the lesser of two evils! Neither side are playing well and both have their respective issues. Standard de Liege are struggling to score goals, they’re missing Captain Defour, and have their best striker Jovanovic linked to another club virtually every week. However, a win for them tonight coupled with the defeat of Olympiakos by Arsenal would see Standard qualify for the latter stages of this competition so the Belgians will be highly motivated tonight and have their loud home support to cheer them on. Visitors AZ Alkmaar have just sacked coach Ronald Koeman after a woeful start to their Eredivisie campaign. The final straw that broke the donkey’s back was their home defeat against Vitesse Arnhem last match so AZ Alkmaar have no manager for this game although Dick Advocaat has supposedly been appointed so he can manage the Dutch club after this game, which is ironic considering that he coaches the Belgium national side too. A win tonight would see AZ clinch a UEFA Europa League spot but they just don’t look capable of doing it without a manager and whilst playing some poor football to boot.

This should be quite the gritty and tense match with both sides having something to gain from this game with the old Belgium/Holland rivalry certainly not helping matters. However, I think there’s just enough in Standard de Liege’s corner for them to win this game whereas AZ will surely turn their focus onto rescuring their poor Eredivisie campaign.

Verdict: Standard de Liege to win at 5/6.

Gimnasia De La Plata vs Newell’s Old Boys – away win at 4/5.

Gimnasia De La Plata have now lost three consecutive games, making it four defeats in five games. They’ve won just three games in seventeen this season and although their home record is semi-decent, they’ve still managed to concede eight goals in their last three games, scoring just once along the way. Gimnasia are looking far too leaky at the back to maintain any kind of challenge to high-flying Newell’s Old Boys and I frankly don’t believe that they have the quality to do so either. With momentum having also deserted them for this game, it’s very hard to see the hosts getting anything from this game tonight.

Nobody else in this division has won as many away games as Newell’s Old Boys have this season with six wins in nine away games, losing just once along the way. Only league leaders Banfield have conceded less goals than Newell’s Old Boys have away from  home this season too. The visitors enter this game with some decent momentum after three wins, one draw, and just one defeat in their past five games. Newell’s may have surprised me with their form this year but one thing that hasn’t surprised me is that Gimnasia are lingering near the bottom of the table because they simply don’t have the squad to match most of this division currently.

Although I don’t envision this game being a walkover – what South American away win ever is? – I do think that Newell’s Old Boys have the better side, better momentum, and even better motivation ahead of this encounter. Gimnasia De La Plata would look likely to lose against anyone with their current form, let alone one of the better sides in the Primera Division currently.

Verdict: Newell’s Old Boys to win at 4/5.

As ever, if there are any questions/explanations required then feel free to post a comment! For the complete picks listing, see below!

UEFA Champions League:

Liverpool vs Fiorentina (6) 1-0
Olympique Lyonnais vs Debreceni VSC (9) over 2.5 goals
Internazionale vs Rubin Kazan (6) 1-1
Dynamo Kiev vs Barcelona (7) 1-2
VFB Stuttgart vs Unirea Urziceni (5) 0-0
Sevilla CF vs Rangers (6) 0-0
Olympiakos Piraeus vs Arsenal (6) 2-0
Standard de Liege vs AZ Alkmaar (7) 1-0

FIFA World Club Cup:

Auckland City vs Al Ahli (6) 0-1

Argentinian Primera Division:

San Lorenzo de Almagro vs Lanus (7) 1-1
Gimnasia De La Plata vs Newell’s Old Boys (7) 1-2
Banfield vs Tigre (8) under 2.5 goals

Colombian Futbol Profesional:

Deportivo Pereira vs Real Cartagena (6) 2-1
Atletico Junior Barranquilla vs Independiente Medellin (5) 1-1
Independiente de Santa Fe Bogota vs Deportes Tolima (7) 1-0
Atletico Nacional de Medellin vs Atletico Huila (8) 2-1

Slovenian Prva Liga:

Nafta Lendava vs Drava (8) 2-0
Interblock Ljubljana vs Celje (6) 2-1
Rudar Velenje vs Domzale (5) 1-1
Gorica vs Koper (6) 0-1
Maribor vs Olimpija Ljubljana (6) 2-1, at least one red card in this game

Ukrainian Premier League:

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Metalurg Zaporizhya (9) -1.75 handicap

Enjoy your free betting tips!