The Champions League continues tonight, with defending champions Liverpool hosting Red Bull Salzburg at Anfield, needing a win to get their campaign back on track.
The Reds were disappointing in their first group game, losing 2-0 in Naples throwing in some defensive lapses. They now face a Salzburg side that will be brimful of confidence after scoring six against Genk in their opening group game.
However, Liverpool haven’t lost at Anfield in the Champions League for five years, and it’s a brave man who bets against them at this venue. That said, their main strikers are all odds on to score anytime tonight so we’ll look elsewhere.
Salzburg arrive at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga, scoring 40 goals in nine games. And they have a striker bang in form – Erling Braut Haaland has scored 17 already this season, including a hat trick against Genk.
Liverpool may well win tonight, but we think the defensive lapses they have shown this season and the injury to Joel Matip means the 5/2 Paddy Power offers on Harland scoring suggests value.
The second game involving an English team is Chelsea’s visit to Lille. Both teams lost their opening games in this group, so a win here becomes vital.
We’ve been quite impressed with the work that Frank Lampard has done with his young Chelsea side. The Blues may have lost to Valencia but they had 22 shots, the most without scoring.
Chelsea have won seven of their last 12 away group games in the Champions League, while Lille haven’t won at home in this competition since 2006. With this in mind, we’ll side with Frank’s team.
Tammy Abraham has led the Chelsea team this season with distinction, and the side is built with speed to attack on the break. Paddy Power offers an enhanced 11/1 that Abraham scores twice, and we’ll be on that.
Recommendations:
Liverpool/Salzburg: Haarland to score anytime, 1 pt, at 5/2, Paddy Power
Lille/Chelsea: Abraham to score a brace, 1 pt, at 11/1, Paddy Power
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