Bayern Munich vs. Shakhtar Donetsk- 3/11/14 3:45EST
The two teams head to Germany after a 0-0 tie in Ukraine last month. Bayern Munich will be without star player Xabi Alonso who is suspended after being booked with a red card in the first leg. In addition to Alonso, Bayern is still missing key players Javi Martinez, Phillipp Lahm, and Thiago.
Despite being down a man for almost a half an hour, Bayern managed to outshoot Shakhtar by an 8-1 margin and controlled possession 65% of the time. Bayern’s defense at home has been outstanding during this years Champions League campaign as they’ve yet to concede a goal at Allianz Arena. The German club hasn’t lost in their last 8 matches and will look
to continue their great form on Wednesday.
Shakhtar doesn’t lose often, but their problem is that they usually play in low scoring ties. For example, Shakhtar has only won 2 of their 7 Champions League games this season, both of which were against a poor BATE Borisov squad. In addition, 12 of their 15 goals came against the Belarusian squad meaning they’ve only scored 3 goals in their other 5 matches. In a match that will need to see an outright winner to advance, Shakhtar’s best hope is to keep the game to a low scoring draw and pray they can get to a penalties. Whatever the case may be, I’d be surprised to see a goal scored by an ordinary Shakhtar offense against European football giants Bayern Munich on this afternoon.
Bayern are currently two goal favorites over the Ukrainian side. The money shows Bayern as 2/11 favorites with a draw posting at 15/2 while Shakhtar remains a 20/1 underdog. While one can expect Bayern to win outright at home, Bayern may be right for an upset considering the amount of suspensions and injuries they’ve been suffering. Bayern is certainly the heavy favorite in this match for a reason, however it may be worth the value to put a couple of bucks on a draw or tie to reap the benefits of a large return, especially at a payout of 20-to-1.
Chelsea vs. Paris Saint-Germain- 3/11/14 3:45EST
The two squads will meet at Stamford Bridge after a 1-1 tie in the first leg of their Champions League clash. Quite frankly, Chelsea was lucky to return to England with a 1-1 tie as they were outpossessed and outshot by a total of 14-2. It will be much tougher for PSG to put on a dominating performance in London as superb skipper Jose Mourinho and the home crowd will be ready for Wednesdays pivotal clash.
With Real Madrid’s stunning loss to Schalke, Chelsea, along with Porto, remains one of two unbeaten teams left in this years Champions League. The high-scoring club steps it up a level at Stamford Bridge which is highlighted by the fact that they have scored in each of their last 18 Champions League home games. Chelsea relies heavily on set tactics so possessing the ball and drawing fouls will be key if they wish to advance to the round of 8.
PSG will do their best to replicate their success from the last match where they were clearly the better team. Coming into the game with a 1-1 home draw means PSG will need to score at least 1 goal to have a chance to qualify. This means they will be pressuring and taking chances relying heavily on the dynamic duo of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. Cavani has been superb in this years Champions League by netting 6 goals in 7 appearances.
This should be a very close game and the current odds reflect that with Chelsea being the slight favorite. Chelsea are currently favored at odds of 11/10 while PSG is listed at 11/4 with a draw posted at 23/10. The over/under is currently listed a 2.5 goals at with the over at 6/5. It’s going to be too close to call for an outright winner, however, between Jose Mourinho’s aggressive tactics, PSG’s dire need to score in order to advance, and the presence of some of the best finishers in the world such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, I think this match will be a high scoring affair.