Following the first round robin of the Champions League Group Stage, teams know what they must do in order to advance to the knockout rounds. Some teams have a steep hill to climb in their effort to make it to the Round of 16, while other teams have a much more manageable journey after good results in the first leg. Once again, I will be previewing some of the bigger clubs, and the focus will be on Manchester City and Manchester United.
The Champions League Group Stage will last from September 18 to December 2. There will be eight groups with four teams in each group, and the top two teams in each group will advance to the Round of 16. Check out all the action this week at BookMaker.
Champions League Group Stage Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
FC Shakhtar Donetsk +1820
Manchester City -833
Draw +765
Over/Under 3.5
Manchester City aren’t as much of a lock to win this group as you might think. The Citizens did not look good in their first two Champions League matches this season, looking listless in a home loss against Lyon and following that up by nearly drawing on the road against 1899 Hoffenheim.
Before the start of the competition, Manchester City were heavy betting favorites to win Group F. The Citizens were as high as -350 favorites to win the group, and they are one point ahead of Lyon after the earlier loss to the French side thanks to every other match in the group not involving them being a draw.
These teams met in the Ukraine a couple weeks ago, and Manchester City showed their class in a 3-0 win. However, Shakhtar Donetsk were not afraid to play Manchester City’s style, and ran up and down the field with them. Shakhtar had 14 shots and 47 percent of the possession, but they were far more prone to giving the ball away and that was one of the big differences.
City won’t have Kevin De Bruyne available for this match, but they will have all their other offensive stars. A win would give them a strong grip on a spot in the knockout rounds, and if Lyon beat Hoffenheim as well, both teams would be through to the Round of 16 with just the positioning left to be decided.
Manchester United +484
Juventus -172
Draw +293
Over/Under 2.5
This is a pivotal match for Manchester United. If the Red Devils were to get a result against Juventus in their second go-around, they would feel good about their chances of advancing to the knockout rounds. They are currently two points ahead of Valencia and three points ahead of Young Boys, but the Swiss club is seen to have little shot of advancing out of the group stage. Manchester United were given a favor last week after Valencia and Young Boys drew, but Valencia are strong favorites to win the second match.
Manchester United played well in a loss at Old Trafford when these teams met two weeks ago. Paulo Dybala scored the only goal early in the first half, but the Red Devils were able to threaten and counter Juventus and there is a chance they could pick up a result here.
Juventus are looking to put away Group H. They are already five points clear of Manchester United, and a win would give them first place in the group. That would likely lead to them resting their veterans and playing younger players in their last two matches, and that could hurt Manchester United. Valencia play Juventus last, and there is a chance that the Spanish side could win if Juventus have nothing to play for.
This should be a hard-fought affair, and I like the under a lot. I think Mourinho will deploy in a more defensive formation in search of a draw leading to few chances for either team.
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