I have to say, it is really good to have domestic football back, although I was not satisfied on Sunday evening after Manchester United blew a late lead at Cardiff City. I tend to avoid Twitter in the aftermath of a disappointing result as that mainly because social network sites these days seem to be full of the 'joys' of life that like nothing more than a good moan.
Sack the manager, sack the staff, get rid of the players, all comments that offer nothing going forward if I am honest and very few constructive comments and analysis. In saying that, I have tried to trim the people I follow so that I don't really see too many of the knee-jerk reactions and really do like reading some of the more respected opinions that I do see.
United should have won that game on Sunday, missing a couple of glorious chances to wrap up the points in the last twenty minutes, but they have to move on quickly to the Champions League and a chance to secure a place in the last 16. Only Manchester City of the English clubs is guaranteed a place in the knock out stage of the competition, but United and Chelsea will both feel they can follow suit, while Arsenal are in the most precarious position.
In saying that, Arsenal could also book their place in the last 16 with a win this week and a failure of Borussia Dortmund to beat Napoli, but the most likely scenario is the Gunners travelling to Italy on match day 6 needing to get a result to go through.
Dortmund are one of the leading contender to win the Champions League that are in a very difficult spot going into the last two games and anything less than two wins is unlikely to be good enough for the side that finished as Runner Up just a few months ago. Juventus were one of the 'trendy' picks to win the tournament before it began, but they too are in danger of missing out and are likely to need a result in Galatasaray on match day 6 to go through, while the familiar faces of Milan and Porto have work to do.
That should mean a fascinating round of games to help clear up some of these issues, while the Europa League also reaches the penultimate round of the Group Stage.
The picks for November are once again in a positive position after a good weekend, but there is still work to be done to continue the upward trend that began after a terrible August.
Bayer Leverkusen v Manchester United Pick: When you get down to the last couple of games in the Champions League, you really start getting down to the important games that can determine qualification for the majority of teams.
That is actually the case for both of these teams this week as the winner will definitely be playing in the Champions League in the new year, while the losing team would have to secure a place in the final game.
Manchester United would love to get the win in Germany that could secure top spot as well as a place in the last 16, especially wiht a busy festive period in which they will have around 5 games in a period of about 20 days.
David Moyes would be grateful if he has the chance to at least rotate his squad in the final game against Shakhtar Donetsk, but he is missing a couple of key players here and Manchester United have looked more vulnerable away from home than the results may indicate.
Bayer Leverkusen also have a very strong home record and will be full of confidence that they can earn the win that would give them a great chance to top the Group. They have already dismissed the other two teams in the Group here and avoided defeat against Bayern Munich, but United should be able to create some chances here.
Goals looks the best play, even if the draw would probably suit both teams. I can't imagine Leverkusen thinking it is easier to get a result in Real Sociedad than in front of their own fans, and they don't strike me as a side that will sit back unless news from Ukraine is the home side are losing to Sociedad.
I also expect David Moyes to want his team to give this game a right go to secure their place in the next round and be able to rest some players in the later game. At odds against, the chance of goals certainly looks under-rated.
Manchester City v Viktoria Plzen Pick: With plenty of goals in the home side and with an extra day before their next Premier League game, Manuel Pellegrini will have the chance to play a strong team with the bid to still try and win the Group. I would be surprised if Manchester City don't take the opportunity to continue building the momentum they have at the Etihad Stadium and to try and take that into the coming festive period.
The amount of goals is going to be a problem for Viktoria Plzen to deal with as they have already conceded 8 goals in their first 2 away games in the Group and were also comfortably beaten at home by City earlier in the section.
If CSKA Moscow have got a result earlier in the day against a much-changed Bayern Munich, Plzen will need to earn something here and that could lead them to being a little too open. With the way Manchester City attack, I would expect them to be able to continue their run of games scoring at least 3 goals and I'll back them to cover the Asian Handicap.
Paris Saint-Germain v Olympiacos Pick: I was surprised to hear Laurent Blanc mentioning the nerves his side had in the last Champions League game, but I am expecting them to make amends in this one and win the Group ahead of the final round of games.
There will be a desperation for the fans to get the top spot wrapped up with a win to avoid some of the bigger European names in the Second Round, especially as Paris Saint-Germain are considered a real dark horse to win the tournament.
It won't be an easy game against Olympiacos who have a long unbeaten run of their own to defend, but PSG could prove a little too clinical in front of goal as they were in the first game between the teams. As long as they contain their nerves, Paris should book their place in the last 16 as Group winners and I will take them to win this one by a couple of goals.
MY PICKS: Bayer Leverkusen-Manchester United Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.00 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Manchester City - 2 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Paris Saint-Germain - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
November Update: 14-13, + 2.95 Units (42 Units Staked, + 7.02% Yield)
October Final: 20-16-1, + 12.94 Units (51 Units Staked, + 25.37% Yield)
September Final: 13-12, + 1.24 Units (39 Units Staked, + 3.18% Yield)
August Final: 13-26, - 12.13 Units (54 Units Staked, - 22.46% Yield)
Season 2013/14: 46-44-1, + 2.05 Units (144 Units Staked, + 1.42% Yield)
Season 2012/13: + 4.42 Units (415 Units Staked, + 1.07% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment