Matchday 2 of the Uefa Champions League group stage takes place in midweek and @Olimp_SA have a preview for Manchester United vs Galatasaray, Napoli v Real Madrid and Newcastle vs PSG
Champions League Matchday 2 Preview
Champions League Matchday 2 brings us a number of exciting clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights! Have a look at our picks this week.
Manchester United vs. Galatasaray [Tuesday 21:00]
Manchester United will be looking to recover from a painful 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Pressure is mounting on the Devils as they`ve now lost 5 of their 9 opening games of the season in all competitions, this includes 4 of their first 7 Premier League fixtures – marking their worst league start in history. Ten Hag is now tasked with recovering from a 4-3 defeat to Bayern in the opening game, and with a lack of a clear style of play, this might be difficult against a well-drilled Galatasaray side.
Galatasaray now hold a 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions this season. The Turkish outfit goes into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory against Ankaragucu and sitting 2nd on the Super Lig table – yet to taste a league defeat this season. Galatasaray forced a 2-0 draw against Copenhagen in the opening fixture, scoring 2 goals in the last 5 minutes of standard time. However, the Turkish giants have lost 14/17 away games in the Champions League. It is hard to pick a winner here, however, with United`s leaky defence we are bound to see goals. We expect over 2.5 goals and both teams to score. BET HERE
Napoli vs Real Madrid [Tuesday 21:00]
Napoli go into the fixture on the back of a 4-0 victory over Lecce, having beaten Udinese 4-1 the game before. The Naples outfit is in a good position going into the game, having secured the first 3 points in the opening UCL clash against Braga. The Blues have met Madrid in the UCL before, when they lost 6-2 over the 2 legs in the Round of 16 back in 2017. However, they have a significantly different side this time and are likely to cause some problems for the visitors.
The Spanish giants have been flying this season, having only lost 1 game in competitions. They go into the game on the back of a 3-0 away victory over Girona and have kept 2 clean sheets in their last 2 fixtures. They opened their UCL campaign with a 1-0 victory over Berlin, although they will be asked more questions this time. Regardless, the Spaniards are incredible in the UCL and have won 8 consecutive games against a Serie A opposition. This is likely to be a close game and we do expect under 2.5 goals, but Real Madrid to win. BET HERE
Newcastle vs PSG [Wednesday 21:00]
The Magpies stood their ground in their return to the UCL in a 0-0 draw against AC Milan. They followed the draw up with 3 consecutive victories, including a cup tie against Man City, and have managed to keep a clean sheet in all 3, and scored 11 in total. Newcastle does have a home advantage, having lost just 5 home games since the start of 2022. However, seeing how they fare against an overwhelming dangerous Parisian giants will be interesting.
PSG travel to England on the back of a goalless draw against Clermont and are now 5th on the Ligue 1 table. The Parisians kicked off their UCL campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory over Dortmund, with another tough task ahead. PSG have only lost in the knock-out stages last season, having held a fairly good group-stage form, and have not lost a single away game in the group stage. Overall, the Parisians hold more experience in the Champions League against Newcastle, and we expect them to grind out a win here. Both sides are extremely efficient in attack, so we expect to see goals this time out. Therefore, we expect both teams to score, an PSG to win. BET HERE
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing, but are subject to change.
Betting markets for all of this week's top soccer matches are available here
