Matchday 5 of the Uefa Champions League continues on Wednesday night when our focus is on Arsenal v Bayern Munich, Liverpool v PSV and PSG v Spurs
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
These two sides finished Round 4 first on second on the log with the maximum 12 points with Inter, also on 12 points in third. Bayern are top having scored 14 goals whilst conceding 3 and Arsenal have 11 goals without reply.
The Gunners have won away at Bilbao (2-0) and most recently Slavia Prague (3-0) either side of seeing off Olympiakos (2-0) and Atletico (4-0) at the Emirates.
In the EPL Arsenal thrashed Spurs 4-1 last weekend and they are 6 points clear at the top of the standings with Chelsea (who they visit at the weekend) in second spot. They have lost just the 1 game all season, 1-0 at Liverpool early in the campaign and despite picking a number of injuries the strength of their squad has stood up well and although Gabriel is a key absentee a number of first team regulars are closing in on a return to action.
Bayern started with a 3-1 home win over Chelsea and followed up with a 5-1 win at Pafos. They also thrashed Brugge 4-0 in Munich and on Matchday 4 they beat PSG 2-1 in Paris.
In the Bundesliga Bayern are unbeaten with 10 wins and 1 draw and they are 6 points clear at the top of the standings.
The Verdict
Automatic qualification for the knockout rounds is the aim of both sides and whatever the outcome here I think both will achieve that aim in due course. I'm looking for a goalscorer and Saka fits the bill.
Bets: Anytime goalscorer Bukayo Saka at 23/10 with Sportingbet
Note prices quoted are subject to change
Liverpool v PSV
Liverpool have won 3 and lost 1 of their UCL matches and finished Round 4 in the top 8. They have beaten both Madrid clubs at Anfield, Atletico lost 3-2 here and last time out they were 1-0 winners against Real. Liverpool have also won at Frankfurst (5-1) and their only defeat came at Galatasaray (1-0).
UCL form doesn’t tell the whole story as domestically Liverpool are in a big slump. A 3-0 home defeat to Forest at the weekend saw them slip below halfway in the standings on the back of 6 defeats in their last 7 league games and although they are only 3 points oof a top 4 spot the gap to league leaders Arsenal is already 11 points.
PSV have 4 points from as many matches. They began with a 3-1 home defeat to Union SG before drawing 1-1 away to Leverkusen and thrashing Napoli 6-2 in a home fixture. Last time out they drew -1 at Olympiakos.
PSV have a 6 point lead at the top of the Dutch top flight with a record of 11 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat.
The Verdict
Liverpool's recent win over Real in this competition has been overshadowed by their terrible run of results domestically. PSV's win over Napoli warrants respect although their other results in the UCL are no great shakes. I'll go with Liverpool to win a high scoring game (4 goals or more) but it's more in hope than confidence.
Bets: Liverpool to win and over 3.5 total goals at 23/20 with Pokerbet
Note prices quoted are subject to change
PSG v Spurs
PSG won their first 3 League Phase matches before losing 2-1 at home to Bayern on Matchday 4 and they are one of a number of clubs on 9 points. They started with a 4-0 home win over Atalanta and then won away at Barcelona (2-1) and Leverkusen (7-2).
In Ligue 1 PSG to the log, 2 points clear of Marseille with a record of 9 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat.
Spurs are unbeaten with 2 wins and 2 draws against their name and they finished Round 4 in tenth position. Their wins came at home to Villarreal (1-0) and most recently Copenhagen (4-0) and away from home they drew at Bodo Glimt (2-2) and Marseille (0-0).
In the EPL Spurs 4-1 defeat away to Arsenal in Sunday’s derby so them slip to ninth position. They had previously won 4 and drawn 1 of their EPL road trips in addition to the 2 draws on their UCL travels.
The Verdict
Spurs unbeaten UCL record is in jeopardy here, they barely laid a glove on Arsenal at the weekend and a huge improvement will be required. I'll give the visitors a shout of contributing to the scoring but I'm with PSG to win.
Bets: PSG to win and both teams to score? yes at 19/10 with Pokerbet
Note prices quoted are subject to change