Matchday 7 of the Uefa Champions League gets underway on Tuesday night night when our focus is on Bodo Glimt v Manchester City, Inter Milan v Arsenal and Spurs v Dortmund
Bodo Glimt v Man City
Bodo have yet to win a UCL match but they have drawn 3 of their 6 games. That puts them 4 points behind the play off spots so this is pretty much win or bust.
After coming through qualifying Bodo drew 2-2 away to Slavia Prague and at home to Spurs. They then lost 3 in a row, at Galatasaray (3-1) and at home to Monaco (1-0) and Juventus (3-2) before they took a point from a trip to Dortmund with another 2-2 draw.
City have won 4, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their matches which puts them in fourth place, level on points with third place PSG, 2 behind Bayern and 5 shy of Arsenal.
They started with a 2-0 home victory over Napoli before a 2-2 draw at Monaco. City came away from Villarreal with a 2-0 win and they thrashed Dortmund 4-1 in Manchester on Matchday 4. City rang the changes in Round 5 and paid the price in their surprise 2-0 home defeat to Leverkusen but they got back on track in Round 6 with a 2-1 win at Real Madrid.
In the EPL City lost 2-0 to United in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford last weekend. Their 3 previous EPL matches had finished all square and they are now 7 points shy of Arsenal in the title race.
The Verdict
City were well off their level in the derby but a win here would be a giant step towards auto qualification. Haaland has been short of goals but in a betting heat that doesn’t really capture my imagination I will side with him to open the scoring.
Bets: 1st goalscorer Haaland boosted to 22/10 with Sportingbet
Inter v Arsenal
Inter finished Round 6 in sixth place with a record of 4 wins and 2 draws. They won their first 4 matches, at Ajax (2-0) and Union SG (4-0) and at home to Slavia Prague (3-0) and Kairat (2-1). The going got tougher after that and Inter down away to Atletico (2-1) and at home to Liverpool (1-0).
In Serie A Inter are 3 points clear of AC Milan at the top of the standings with a record of 16 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats.
Arsenal have been foot perfect so far and as the only side with a 100% record they are closing in on automatic qualification. Wins in Bilbao (2-0) and at home to Olympiacos (2-0) and Atletico (4-0) were followed by a 3-0 win away to Slavia Prague. The only UCL goal they have conceded came in Round 5 but they still beat Bayern (3-1) at The Emirates and in Round 6 they on 3-0 at Club Brugge.
The Gunners dropped points in a 0-0 draw at Forest at the weekend but overall Xmas and New Year went well and they are 7 points clear of City and Villa in the EPL title race. They are also well placed in their EFL Cup semi final with Chelsea, 3-2 up with the home leg to come and they have also progressed in the FA Cup.
The Verdict
Inter still have to visit Dortmund so can ill afford a defeat here. Draws are hardly commonplace for Inter but I have a feeling they would take that outcome here.
Bets: Match result draw at 24/10 with Sportingbet
Spurs v Dortmund
With a record of 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat Spurs have 11 points, good enough for 11th place and 1 point shy of a top 8 spot and automatic qualification but it’s a very congested area of the log.
Spurs have won all 3 home games, starting with a 1-0 victory over Villarreal. They also put Copenhagen away 4-0 on Matchday 4 and in Round 6 they were 3-0 winners against Slavia Prague. They also drew 2-2 away to Bodo and 0-0 at Monaco and their only defeat so far came at PSG (5-3) in Round 5.
Spurs lost 2-1 at home to EPL strugglers West Ham at the weekend and the future of coach Thomas Frank would appear to be in some doubt. Spurs are down in 14th position in the EPL and are also out of the FA Cup.
Dortmund also have 11 points and an identical record to Spurs although they have scored more goals and hence are in tenth place.
Dortmund have been involved in some high scoring games, starting with a 4-4 draw at Juventus, a 4-1 home win over Bilbao and a 4-2 win in Copenhagen. They crashed to a 4-1 defeat at Manchester City n Round 4 before thrashing Villarreal 4-0 in a home fixture. Another home game in Round 6 against Bodo finished all square at 2-2.
In the Bundesliga Dortmund are in second spot, 11 points behind runaway leaders Bayern but 6 clear of third placed Hoffenheim with a record of 11 wins, 6 draws and just the 1 defeat.
The Verdict
Both sides will be looking for a top 8 finish but have work to do in that regard so 3 points here would be most welcome. Given Dortmund’s results in this competition both teams to score looks a runner and I’m thinking someone will edge it.
Bets: Both teams to score ? yes and either team to win? Yes at 1.37/1 with Sportingbet
Note prices quoted are subject to change