Ian Wilkerson
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The final 4 groups of the Champions League start on Wednesday and there are some mouth-watering matchups with Inter Milan facing Bayern Munich and last season’s runners-up Liverpool heading to a tough match in Italy against Napoli.
We’ve got 4 great bets for Wednesday’s slate, so let’s dive into our predictions for the second night of top European soccer action. Odds shown are available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich best bet: Over 3.5 goals (+126)
These teams have been crowned the kings of Europe on 13 occasions between them and this clash between two of the biggest names in world soccer should not be short on entertainment. Bayern should be especially confident, having lost just 1 of its last 18 Champions League group-stage matchups, while Inter has won just 3 of its last 12 home games in this competition.
We should also expect goals at the San Siro as all 5 of Inter’s Serie A matches this season have produced at least 3 goals and there have been 19 in all. Bayern has scored 20 goals in 5 games in the Bundesliga and both teams have scored in 5 of its last 7 UCL matchups, so going over 3.5 goals on Wednesday could be a path to profit.
Napoli vs Liverpool best bet: Tie (+270)
Liverpool has won just 2 of its 6 Premier League games this season and this looks a difficult trip to Italy for a group opener. The Reds have played in 3 tied games already this season, including last Saturday’s 0-0 match with neighbors Everton, so it has been a difficult start for the team looking to gain revenge for last season’s final defeat to Real Madrid.
The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium can generate a hostile atmosphere and Liverpool has won just 1 of the 4 meetings the teams have had in the last 4 years, so the English team may be delighted to leave with a point.
Read our Champions League winner pick and analysis
Barcelona vs Plzen best bet: Robert Lewandowsi to score first (+140)
Of all the huge clubs in action on the second day, Barcelona looks to have the easiest task against Plzen. Barca is expected to coast to an opening victory against the team from the Czech Republic, who could struggle to score against a club that already has 3 shutouts in 4 La Liga games this season.
At the other end of the field, Robert Lewandowski has settled well since moving to Camp Nou from Bayern Munich. The center forward has scored 5 goals in the league already this season and he can set the ball rolling with the opening strike on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid vs Porto best bet: Under 2.5 goals (-146)
In our final game, it could be smart to expect less goalmouth action when Atletico Madrid takes on Porto in the Spanish capital. Most of the statistics point to this matchup being low-scoring and that is the way we will go too with a bet on there being fewer than 3 goals.
These teams met in this competition last year and there were no goals in the game played in Madrid. Porto scored just 4 goals in 6 UCL games last season and both teams have scored in just 3 of the 9 league games these teams have played between them in the current campaign. There were fewer than 3 goals scored in 4 of Atletico Madrid’s 5 home games in the competition last season and this looks set to be another.
Each week our soccer experts’ predictions cover every game from the Premier League, Major League Soccer (MLS), La Liga and from the group stages of the Champions League. Check out today’s Soccer Predictions now!
