Champions League preview: Malmo vs Chelsea, Atalanta vs Man Utd
Malmo vs Chelsea
Tuesday’s early evening kick-off sees Chelsea heading to Sweden to take on the Malmo side they beat 4-0 last time out. Can the Scandinavian side put up a better fight on home turf?
Perhaps not, given Malmo lost 3-0 at home to Juventus back in September, and haven’t managed to score in any of their group stage matches to date.
Chelsea were again without Lukaku and Werner this weekend in the Premier League, but that didn’t stop them scoring three times against Newcastle – a Jorginho penalty and two goals from Reece James.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are unsurprisingly odds-on favourites to win in Sweden, with the hosts a whopping 16/1 shot, and the draw available at 13/2. Neither of those outcomes seem remotely likely though.
Perhaps it’s worth having a couple of modest punts on the correct score market – a 2-0 win for Chelsea is available at 5/1, with the 3-0 a 23/4 shot.
Chelsea’s lack of first choice strikers means they probably (probably) won’t run riot, but they should still create plenty, and put at least a couple away…
Atalanta vs Man Utd
Man Utd top Group F after their comeback win against Atalanta last time out – but the Serie A side could move a point clear of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s mercurial team if they were able to mastermind a victory at the Gewiss Stadium.
Solskjaer looked like a dead man walking after losing to Liverpool, just over a week ago. But after beating Tottenham at the weekend, it seems that all is forgiven – at least until the next time Ole drops a clanger. So, er, is this going to be the next time?
I don’t think it’s outlandish to suggest the hosts could win this one – and if that possibility intrigues you, you can get odds of 17/10 on the home victory. But knowing the chaotic scorelines that both these sides habitually produce, perhaps betting on goals is a useful alternative.
Five of Atalanta’s last six Serie A matches have yielded four or more goals, as have two of their three Champions League games this season. Three of United’s last four games in all competitions have seen four or more goals scored too. Backing over 3.5 goals at 5/4 seems worth considering, whichever side you think is going to come out on top.
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