The Champions League Group Stage of 2019/20 has been characterised by some lacklustre performances from the teams that usually stroll through the early stages. Yes, the usual suspects have already booked their places in the Last 16, but can you really make the case for a standout team in the competition so far? Some will point to Bayern’s perfect record, but the competition, including a misfiring Tottenham side, doesn’t tell us enough about the German side’s credentials.
Regardless, there are some intriguing matchups on the final round of group games on the 10th and 11th of December. And, we believe we can find some value in these four ties:
Capitalising on Liverpool Nerves
It’s not inconceivable that Liverpool might fail to qualify for the knockout phase, and you’d need rocks in your head to take the 1/9 odds from some firms that they get the job done against Red Bull Salzburg. The Austrians have proved to be a talented outfit, and Liverpool won’t relish a December fixture in freezing temperatures in the Red Bull Arena. A draw is enough for Liverpool, however, and that sits nicely with the Double Chane (RB Salzburg + Draw) firms like Bet365 (which also is popular within online casinos players) are offering for the match.
Inter to Shine
If you look around sites to get big price boosts and enhanced offers for new UK customers, you would do well to see what you can get for Inter to smash Barcelona at the San Siro. The Italians are likely to get a free hit against Barcelona, who are already guaranteed to top the group. While odds of 7/10 from William Hill and BetVictor might seem short for any team against Barcelona, Inter has the goods to deliver against a second-string side. If you can boost the odds, then all the better. Moreover, we wouldn’t be averse to spending a few pence on the 80/1 that BlackType offers on them to win the competition outright, such as the impression Antonio Conte’s men have left on us of late.
Brugge Can Take Advantage of Madrid
Unibet goes 12/5 on Club Brugge beating Real Madrid in the final round of Group A. Not bad when you consider some firms are as low as 19/10 on the Belgians. Why all the optimism for Brugge against the mighty Madrid? Well, first of all, Madrid has qualified in second (and can’t overtake PSG) and Brugge is looking for that Europa League spot. Secondly, the game is played within a week of crunch La Liga matches with Barcelona and Valencia. Finally, Madrid isn’t really ‘Madrid’ right now. The Belgians can tackle a second-string Madrid side who will be more concerned with a looming El Clásico.
The Group C Conundrum
If you are looking for a bit of drama, it seems that Group C is the one to deliver. Man City has qualified, but anyone of Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb or Atalanta can still qualify. You’d have to say that it’s a straight fight between Atalanta and Shakhtar, who clash in Ukraine, assuming City take care of Zagreb. 9/4 is put down by SkyBet for the Italians to leapfrog the rest into that coveted second spot. Be wary, though, Atalanta is a bit of enigma, who could go to Ukraine and lose 5-0 just as easily as they could walk away with a big victory. A tough call, but those odds do look like a decent value.