With some shock results in the last round of the UEFA Champions League, anticipations will be high going into this week’s round 5 clashes beginning Wednesday morning (AEDT). Manchester City were able to come up with a huge win over Barcelona in the last round while Tottenham suffered a tough loss at home to Bayer Leverkusen.
Round 5 provides some tantalising matchups with Arsenal taking on French juggernauts PSG in London and Barcelona hosting Australian Tommy Rogic and his Celtics. We preview and give betting tips for both games below.
Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain (Thursday 6.45am AEDT)
Top spot in Group A is well and truly up for grabs on Thursday morning as Arsenal host PSG at Emirates Stadium. Both teams sit a top the group with 10 points a piece, having won their last three matchups after a 1-1 draw against each other in round one. While both teams have all but cemented their spot in the next round of the tournament, group placings will play a crucial role in either team’s progression with 2nd place likely having to face a much harder opponent come the knockout phase.
Arsenal come into the match in red hot form, while they walked away with only a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in this week, they are undefeated through their last ten games in the EPL and haven’t surrendered all three points in any competition since their round one EPL loss to Liverpool. PSG on the other hand have struggled in Ligue 1 by their standards, sitting third on the table, having drawn two and lost two out of 13 games so far. Star striker Edinson Cavani is doing his best to fill the hole left by Zlatan Ibrohimovich, he currently leads the Ligue 1 golden boot with 10 goals.
The Gunners go into the game with some major injury woes. Five of their usual squad members in Hector Bellerin, Lucas Perez, Santi Carzola, Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck will be on the sidelines due to injury. However, Arsenal’s depth was on display in the last round of the Champions League when they were able to come from 2-0 down to snatch a gutsy win without any of the aforementioned players.
The Arsenal spirits will also be boosted by the news that PSG star midfielder Angel di Maria will miss the game due to injury. This is a really tough match to pick, both teams are littered with star talent throughout, but both lack that one player that can really turn a game on it’s head, Cavani at times has showed glimpses of being able to do so, as too has Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez. However, I see this one being a pretty scrappy affair, much like the teams last meeting.
TIP: Arsenal to Win - $2.17 at Sportsbet
Celtic vs Barcelona (Thursday 6.45am AEDT)
Perennial Scottish powerhouse Celtic host Barcelona on Thursday morning as they aim to re-enter contention to move forward to the knockout stage from Group C. While Barcelona sit pretty on top, with nine points from their four games, Celtic are bringing up the rear, having only secured two points so far. A win and a Manchester City loss will have Celtic just two points behind the English side going into their round six clash in Manchester.
Barcelona can cement their spot atop the group with a win here and a Man City draw or worse. If Man City were to draw and Barcelona win, it would move the Catalonians four points clear of Man City with only one game to play. While I don’t think Barcelona mind too much who they come up against in the knockout stages, it won’t stop them from going all out to get the W in this one.
Celtic will want to forget the teams first matchup of this seasons Champions League fixture, getting pants by Barcelona 7-0 in a game that saw a Lionel Messi hat trick. While Barcelona star midfielder Andres Iniesta will remained sidelined due to injury, forward trio of Messi, Luis Saurez and Neymar all look set to go and have been in blistering form of late. Messi and Saurez are tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for golden boot honours in the La Liga with either a piece and I think the star trio is all Barcelona needs to overcome an underperforming Celtic side.
TIP: Barcelona -1 - $1.75 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
