Football ManUtd120Chelsea v Malmo and Manchester United v Atalanta are the Champions League matches in focus in Wednesday's preview including goals markets and goalscorer betting tips courtesy of @Olimp_SA

 

 

 

Champions League Group Stage Round 3, Wednesday 20 October

 

Chelsea vs. Malmo FF 21:00

 

Chelsea

 

Chelsea are sitting pretty at the top of the EPL table, but sadly for Tuchel’s men they cannot say the same about their UCL group. The Blues are in second place in Group H with three points and have a record of one win and one loss. They look to avoid their first ever back-to-back UCL defeat since Thomas Tuchel took charge when they take on Swedish side Malmo FF, a side they have never lost or drawn against.

 

Chelsea were at Stamford Bridge for their opening group stage encounter where they took on defending Russian champions Zenit and went into this match as overwhelming favourites. Despite the odds indicating that it would be an easy victory for Chelsea, the home side failed to get anything going in the first half and had to wait until the 69th minute for a Romelu Lukaku header to secure them a 1-0 victory. Although the Blues defense held up strong and didn’t let in any goals the attack really should have done more and overall it was a rather unconvincing win.

 

In Round 2 the Blues headed to Italy for a tough clash with Juventus. They went into the match as favourites with around 2.20 on offer for a Chelsea win, but it would turn out to be a horrible night for them. Their attack failed to materialize any goals in the first half and other than an early 7th minute header opportunity for Lukaku they would only manage a total of two shots at goal in the entire half. Tuchel’s men conceded right after the break and from there on they were playing catch up for the rest of the match. Chelsea had a couple of chances to score in the second half through Havertz and Lukaku but they just couldn’t find the target on the night and ended up losing 1-0.

 

Malmo FF

 

Defending Swedish Champions Malmo FF were very unfortunate to land up in Group H along with Chelsea, Juventus and Zenit and it’s no surprise that they have been having a difficult time. They now sit at the bottom of their group and are yet to register their first win or to pick up any points. They have already conceded seven goals in their first two matches and they are in for another tough encounter in London on Wednesday night.

In Round 1 of the UCL Group Stage the Swedes hosted Juventus and went into the match as huge underdogs with odds of 6.50 for a win. There were no surprises in this clash and they conceded their first goal around the 20 minute mark, while a further two quick successive Juventus goals just before half time would leave them trailing at the break 3-0. Credit can be given to the hosts for not conceding any more goals in the second half but with only nine attempts at goal in the entire match it’s no surprise that they were unable to register anything on the scoreboard.

Three weeks ago Malmo were in Russia to take on Zenit for a match that I fancied being their best of chance of getting some points in this group. Despite going into the match as massive underdogs at odds of 7.50, they managed to keep things relatively tight in the first half. They only conceded one first half goal, but it was once again their attack that let them down. Despite nearly 50% possession in the first half along with seven attempts at goal they were not able to find the back of the net before the break. Another goal against them just after half time, along with a red card for Anel Ahmedhodzic a few minutes later would be the beginning of the end for the Swedes. They would concede another two goals and lose the match 4-0.

 

Prediction

 

Malmo have had a terrible time up until now and I don’t see things getting any better for them with this game. Their performances have been well below par with the rest of their group and they have just not been able to get anything going on attack. It’s unlikely that they will get their first goal of the group stage on Wednesday night and my focus will be on how many goals Chelsea can score. The Blues have only managed one goal so far against Zenit but this game is the perfect opportunity for them to up their tally. The Malmo defense is pretty poor in my opinion and Chelsea really should score at least two or three goals here.

 

There isn’t much value in the odds for a Chelsea win or taking them on the handicap so I am going to opt for the winning margin instead. Over 1.5 goals in the first half is available at just over even money and if Chelsea can have a strong start it should land. The value is a bit thin for goalscorers as well, but I will put a little something on Lukaku to score the first goal.

 

BetOlimp Best Bets

Winning Margin: Chelsea to win by 2-3 goals – 2.13
First Half Total Goals: Over 1.5 goals – 2.11
First Goalscorer: Romelu Lukaku – 2.80

 

Manchester United vs. Atalanta 21:00

 

Manchester United

 

After two UCL Group Stage matches the Red Devils have managed one win and one loss and find themselves in third place in Group F with three points. They have scored a total of three goals and conceded the same amount and will look to move into the Top 2 on Wednesday night.

 

In their opening group stage encounter Manchester United faced off with Young Boys in Switzerland where they went into the match as massive favourites at a price of 1.35. It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first UCL match back at United and he didn’t disappoint with a 13th minute goal. However, celebrations were short lived after Aaron Wan-Bissaka got a red card later on in the first half which would force Solskjaer to bring on a new defender and take off winger Sancho. This had a big impact on the Red Devils’ attack for the rest of the game and they would only manage two attempts on goal for the entire match, none in the second half. Despite being in ultra-defensive mode they would still concede two second half goals, including a goal right at the death which would see them go down 2-1.

 

In Round 2 United returned to Old Trafford where they hosted Villarreal. After going into the match as 1.50 favourites they got off to a slow start in the first half where they only managed one shot on goal. They conceded early in the second half, but managed to pull back through an Alex Telles equalizer in the 63rd minute. It was a hard-fought battle for the remaining 30 minutes in the match, but the Red Devils managed to clinch the win in stoppage time thanks to a neat finish by Cristiano Ronaldo off of Jesse Lingard’s assist.

 

Atalanta

 

With one win and one draw Atalanta find themselves at the top of Group F with four points. The Italian side would be fairly happy with their results so far, but Wednesday night will present itself as their biggest group stage test yet and a win would make them overwhelming favourites to finish top of the group.

 

Atalanta started off their group stage in Spain against Villarreal where they went into the match as underdogs with bookmakers quoting them at 3.00 to win the match. The Italians drew first blood in the match with a goal in the 6th minute by Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler, but lost their lead late in the first half and went into the break with the score at 1-1. The majority of the second half was a tight affair until the last twenty minutes which saw two goals, the first by Villarreal and the second a 83rd minute equalizer by Robin Gosens for Atalanta which ensured a 2-2 draw along with a valuable point.

 

In their Round 2 encounter the Italians were at home against Young Boys and they went into this match as clear favourites. Despite four attempts on goal in the first half from the hosts they were not able to find the back of the net before the break and their only goal came in the 68th minute courtesy of Matteo Pessina. The Young Boys did a good job in limiting the number of goals by their opposition in a clash where many were expecting them to concede considerably more.

 

 

Prediction

 

I think we are going to be in for a tight game on Wednesday night. Manchester United are favourites for this match but with their current struggles in the EPL I don’t see this being an easy win for them. Atalanta have also not been overly convincing but I believe that they will be able to make a nuisance of themselves and be able to force a draw, maybe even pull off the win.

 

Three out of the four games that these two sides have played in the UCL group stage have seen three or less goals which makes me inclined to side with the under 3.5 goals for this match. I am not overly excited about picking a goalscorer for this match since the prices are very short, but I will have a small bet on Mason Greenwood to score his first UCL goal of the group stage after he scored against Leicester on the weekend.

 

BetOlimp Best Bets

 

Double Chance: Draw or Atalanta – 2.11
Total Goals: Under 3.5 Goals – 1.71
Anytime Goalscorer: Mason Greenwood – 2.80

 

Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change

 

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